Legacy of the Rasengan III: Chuuten
by Tellemicus Sundance
Summary: It is coming. The storm is approaching quickly. Fueled by powers of demonic origins, two of them are destined to rise above the rest. To fly on the wings of angels into heaven itself. DISCONTINUED! Adopted by FictionReader98
1. A Hero's Return

**This chapter is dedicated to my good friend: FictionReader98. It is official now, Ninja Clash is now apart of the _Legacy_ series.**

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 1: A Hero's Return_

**Six months after Legacy II  
****Konoha, Hyuuga Compound  
****6:00am**

The sun had long since risen, showering its bright and unbridled power down upon the mortals below. In the warm summer morning, it was a wonderful start to what would clearly be a quite hot day.

Most of the people of Konohagakure were either still asleep or just waking up at this point. The many children were already up and about, most already in their classes at school or the shinobi academy. A good portion of the shinobi themselves were also just starting their days in their own unique ways.

But the people who were very much awake already were the early-risers. In the training fields, a few of the more hardened or determined shinobi and kunoichi were already hard at work in their training. Shopkeepers were already up and about, preparing for another day of earning a living for their families. The sentries outside the gates of Konoha waited impatiently for their shifts to end so they could retire for the day after a long night of boring duty.

Crawling out of her comfortable bed, a certain dark-navy haired kunoichi yawned as she stretched. It felt very good to have a nice stretch after a comfortable sleep. It was just a shame that she couldn't have continued on in dreamland for just a little while longer. So she could continue to feel the touch him gently caressing her with all the love of his heart.

Hinata could not understand why she was having such dreams recently. She had not even seen him for quite some time now. Yet in her dreams he was always there, exactly as she remembered him being from their previous encounter. If she hadn't already long since known that she was in love with him, Hinata might have been more concerned with the..._contents_ of her dreams.

A bright blush lit up Hinata's cheeks as she remembered the latest highly inappropriate dream she just had. Gently but firmly shaking her head in an attempt to clear it from such thoughts, she quickly dressed into a heavy bathing robe and made her way to her clan's personal hot spring. She was going to need a nice _long_ soak after such a dream.

* * *

**Inuzuka Compound**

Kiba sat with his mother and sister at the table in their home. Their breakfast was practically inhaled almost as quickly as it had been set on the table. As a family apart of a clan heavily influenced by their canine companions, not much was spoken between them as they ate.

The youngest of the Inuzuka wouldn't have spoken much to the others had they tried to start a conversation anyway. He was either too focused on his food or what he planned to do with his day later.

He knew that neither his team nor he had a mission today. Perhaps he could talk Shino into having another spar with him. Then again, it might be better not to since he had a few other errands to run. Like purchasing more supplies to restock his lost shuriken and kunai. And he still needed to get himself a new set of clothing since his current attire was quickly being worn out and torn up.

Nodding to himself, he made his choice.

Besides, Shino would start getting irritated with how often Kiba's been trying to spar with him anyway.

"Don't forget to get some more food for the pups," his mother reminded him as he stood up with all intents to leave.

"Hai, hai," he muttered dismissively as he left the room.

Walking towards the gate of his clan's compound, he was quickly joined by Akamaru. The large canine let out a loud bark as a greeting before sliding his nose under Kiba's hand, demanding some attention.

Glancing down at his long-time friend, Kiba grinned somewhat sadly. It was only recently that Akamaru had fully recovered from…_that_ mission. The mission where he had come to a very unfortunate realization about himself; he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility yet.

That was why he'd willingly demoted himself as a Jounin, once again becoming a Chuunin. He had realized during that…_mission_ that though he had the capabilities, he lacked the experience needed to be an effective Jounin. It hadn't taken him long afterwards to realize that his competitive desire to outdo everyone else, especially Naruto, had led him down that path. He had sworn to himself that the next time he became a Jounin, he'd be fully qualified and _ready_ for it.

A loud bark from Akamaru tore Kiba from his musings. Yes, he reminded himself. It was time to get back to his errands.

* * *

**Dango Bar**

Like any other morning, Team Ten was meeting at their favorite restaurant to discuss their plans for the day. Only this time Shikamaru had brought a visitor with them. A noticeably pregnant Sabaku no Temari sat in the booth next to him.

Against everyones' advice, even a direct order from the Godaime Kazekage himself, Temari had decided to continue her duties as a kunoichi for as long as she could. But now that she had passed the four-month mark of her pregnancy, she could no longer safely use her chakra. With her infant connected to her, they now shared her chakra reserves. This meant, if she were not careful, she could easily drain away her baby's very small reserves and kill it unintentionally. And raised in a society in which all life was precious, she would never allow herself to have an abortion either.

"How can you stand to eat some much of that stuff, Temari-san?" Ino couldn't help but ask in disgust.

Ino was dressed in purple form-fitting shorts, a sleeveless shirt that only reached partially down her stomach so that it showed off her toned abdominal muscles, and fishnetting along her elbows and knees. Her hair was still quite long and in its usual ponytail. Unlike many of the other shinobi or kunoichi of Konoha, she no longer seemed to wear her hitai-ate…unless she hid it underneath her clothing somewhere.

Stacked in front of the soon-to-be mother were three empty bowls of spicy-beef curry, with her still working on the fourth. The young woman glanced at the Yamanaka for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and returning to her meal. At least her pregnancy cravings were primarily for curry, if it were something else like ramen (Kami forbid!) she probably wouldn't have survived for very long in her opinion.

"At least it's not ramen," Shikamaru muttered, voicing Temari's thoughts.

"What're ya…gonna…name it?" Choji asked between bites of his barbeque steak.

The once 'pleasantly plump' Akimichi was the most noticeably changed of the trio since their initial days as shinobi. He now wore armor similar to that of his father and was covered with large muscles where fat had once dwelled in such quantities.

Pausing in her consumption, Temari considered the question. "I haven't really thought about that yet," she admitted unabashedly.

"You should name…it 'Curry' after…" but Choji never got to finish his statement as he found his hand jabbed viciously with the young woman's chopsticks.

"I will _never_ name it after _food!_" Temari snapped, a little too loudly than was necessary. "It's disrespectful to the _child_ and to _me!_"

But Choji wasn't really paying attention to her rant, instead looking for his missing utensils that he'd dropped. Before the Suna-kunoichi could start descending into another one of her hormonal rants about how males in general are 'so insensitive and arrogant,' Shikamaru let out a loud sigh which drew her attention instantly.

"I heard you were given the task of being Sunagakure's liaison for this next Chuunin Exam," he said, praying that she'd take the bait.

"Hai," Temari said, settling down considerably. "It was one of the only things Gaara-kun could find for me to do these days."

All of Team Ten knew without a fraction of a doubt that a proud kunoichi like Temari would never accept being retired so early in life without trying to continue her career for as long as possible. Shikamaru even had a sneaking suspicion that she was growing more and more bored with herself as she was further restrained from being able to go on B- or even C-Class missions anymore.

"Ano, Temari-san," Ino said, somewhat hesitantly. "I think you should consider not doing missions anymore."

Snorting somewhat indignantly, Temari made no reply. None was needed; they knew she'd never take that suggestion without a 'just cause.'

* * *

**Haruno Residence**

It was with apprehension that Sasuke stared at the door in front of him. Behind this simple wooden structure lived a person he had grown to deeply respect and care for. Under normal circumstances, he would never have felt so awkward. But this person had quickly and nearly-effortlessly become the center of his dreams and hopes for the future.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, his patented cool and indifferent demeanor slowly returned. It would not do for him to be seen as nervous in front of her. And despite whatever she may now feel for him, he refused to be seen as a lovesick teenager. Such an image would forever taint his pride as a shinobi and a young man.

Knocking firmly on the door, he stepped back to await her arrival. He knew she was inside; her chakra signature was so unique to him that he could identify it even in a crowd of kunoichi.

Glancing off the side, he stared down unseeingly at the grass next to the doorstep. In his mind, he tried to put together the strange puzzle that had been gradually building up since he met her. _How_ and _when_ did he realize that he…needed her?

He knew it hadn't started when he first saw her in his second year at the academy. At age nine and having been orphaned for just less than two years, he never been more alone in his entire life than then.

The academy class had just started that day, with another of Naruto's usual pranks on Iruka-sensei. Iruka had started the class with reading out of the textbook on how the Shodai Hokage had been able to unite the various and highly uncooperative clans to form the foundations for what would become Konoha. Sasuke had little interest in the subject since he thought that the history lessons would not aid him in his ambition to avenge his clan.

Then he saw a hesitant hand rise into the air. It was Sakura, who had been quite naïve at the time about clans and their rivalries. She had asked a simple question: _why couldn't the clans have gotten along, especially since they all had a special gift that no one else in the world had?_

That simple question from her was what first drew his attention to her. But then over the course of the coming weeks, she had quickly become a member of his 'fan club.' He had been slightly dismayed to learn that such a _smart_ girl would suddenly join such a _stupid_ thing. As she grew more and more infatuated with him, he grew more and more distant since he didn't wish to associate with anyone who wasn't going to try to help him become stronger.

Then fate stepped in.

They became teammates. Once exposed the horrors and rigors of actual shinobi missions where they could potentially die and with a bit of help from Naruto and her own mistakes, she finally began shaping up to become a respectable kunoichi. It was somewhere during this time that she had taken an unnoticed step into his badly-worn heart and began healing it.

It must've been during their mission to Wave Country, on the bridge. When she had been traumatized by seeing him seemingly die at the hands of that nukenin, Haku, and then awoke to find him kneeling over her. She had given him his first _true_ kiss; the accident that had led to his highly unintentional 'first' kiss with Naruto was one of the memories he _dearly_ wished he could lock away and _never_ see again!

And though they had not kissed since, neither of them could truly forget it. Yes, it had been that simple act that had created a special link between them. A link that would eventually lead Sakura to calling him her best friend, a link that would cause him much grief and irrational jealousy during their mission to Snow Country, a link that had continued to grow and strengthen as they aged and matured. He respected her talents and abilities unconditionally. She accepted him for who he was, undaunted by the villagers' briefs that he was traitor until recently.

It had only been recently, around the time of Konoha's ambush on Orochimaru's research facilities, which he had begun to see her as something more. He had been afraid at first to think that she evolved from someone he was good friends with to someone much dearer; not that he'd ever _admit_ to being scared about anything. But as his feelings began to rapidly grow and change, he had been forced to admit the truth, to himself at least.

He, Uchiha Sasuke, was in love with Haruno Sakura.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, Sasuke failed to notice the door open to expose the aspiring medic-nin and kunoichi of his silent musings. A small smile spread across her face as she noticed his distracted expression.

Though her attire hadn't changed much in last few months, Sasuke had gotten himself a completely new outfit. He now wore a white, long-sleeved shirt with blue trim, and a pair of standard black Jounin pants. Fastened securely around his forearms, triceps, shins, and his chest was standard issue ANBU armor.

Interestingly, he had cut out a piece of the back of the shirt so that a portion of his flesh was exposed. On any other shinobi, this would've seemed highly ridiculous, but for Sasuke it was practical. This was especially true with the fact that he may need to draw upon his curse seal's second level at any given moment. Coupled with his chokuto at his waist, he now gave off an aura befitting a serious Jounin of considerable renown that he carried around.

Clearing her throat loudly, Sakura's small smile widened slightly as she watched his flinch before looking back up at her.

"Ready to go?" he asked, a little too quickly. It did not escape Sakura's notice that he had the faintest of blushes on his cheeks when he said that.

Nodding, she closed the door to her home and started to walk away. When her boyfriend drew up beside her, she said, "I wonder how Osamaru-kun's been lately. I haven't seen him for a few weeks."

"He's not making Kurojin-san's life very easy," Sasuke said quietly as they turned and started walking down the crowded street.

Glancing at Sasuke, Sakura said, "Are you so sure, Sasuke-kun? Last I heard he was being a perfect angel."

"That was before one of the villagers 'mistook' him for one of their babies," the Uchiha Jounin muttered darkly. "She takes him with her everywhere she goes now."

Catching his tone, Sakura stopped and turned to face him as she said, "What happened? I didn't hear about that."

"Yukina-san had dropped him off at day-care center while she went to work," he began. "When she came back, he wasn't there. She came to me and we went searching for him. It's a good thing I wasn't the one to find him…That man who took him would've lost a _lot_ more than his pride that day."

"What happened?" she asked, not liking the dark look in his eyes. The trio scars over his right eye, courtesy of Naruto two and half years ago, made his anger all the more frightening.

"…Yukina said the man said something like 'the child deserves far more to have a father like myself.'" Turning, Sasuke glared hatefully down a nearby alley. "The worst part was that he left his own son at the day-care as well."

"That—that's awful!" was all Sakura could utter in disbelief. "What a horrible man!"

Slowly returning his gaze to the pink-haired kunoichi, he gave a small but deeply satisfied smirk. "I do believe that he's still recovering from his injuries in the Konoha Hospital. Tsunade-sama promised to bring the man up on charges of neglect and a few…_other_ things."

Catching his hidden meaning, Sakura returned his smirk with one of her own. Continuing their journey, they decided to head to Ichiraku Ramen Shop for breakfast. For some reason, they were both in the mood for some good ramen.

* * *

**Main Gate  
6:45am**

An odd-looking pair came to a halt just inside the main gates of Konohagakure. One of them was quite easily identifiable due to the unique clothing he wore and his long, shaggy white hair. Strapped to his lower back was a large scroll, just underneath the traveling rucksack he carried. And if those distinguishable traits weren't enough for him to be recognized, the pair of red tattoo lines running from his eyes to his jaw line and his commonly-perverted grin were dead giveaways.

It was Jiraiya of the Sannin.

Next to him, his teenaged companion and student pulled off his own traveling rucksack and set it down with a loud thud. Ignoring his sensei, he pulled a small surfboard out of his rucksack and quickly bound up the nearest pole with an air of unrestrained excitement and a monstrously large foxy grin.

Uzumaki Naruto had changed a great deal since his encounter with Team Eight several months ago. He still wore his favorite orange pants, but his aged orange and black sweater had been replaced. What he wore in its place was a light-weight black jacket. There had been a design of orange flames lining the lower sleeves when he purchased it. But an unfortunate accident had led him to losing the lower half of his right sleeve.

However, his most favorite additions to his clothing were to his forearms and shins where a set of standard issue ANBU armor that were securely tied and fingerless-black gloves. Strapped to his back was the katana, Seigi no Migite, which he was still seeking the origins of. Since that fateful clash in the desert, he had not once been able to summon out that yellow chakra that he'd used, even with weeks of constant training.

"My, my," Jiraiya observed to himself, watching his newest star-pupil scale the pole in three jumps. "You're certainly in a good mood today."

Reaching the top, Naruto grinned happily down at him as he called back. "Of course I am!" Turning back to the view, Naruto let spread his arms and took a long, deep breath of the morning Konoha air._ I'm home_.

"Oi!" Jiraiya called. "You're not planning on using the Kazeodori, are you?"

A large grin was all the response he got.

Jiraiya could only rub his face in exasperation as a groan escaped him. _Leave it to Naruto to make a 'big entrance' upon his return_, and then he grinned. Jiraiya's instincts were telling him that this entrance would probably lead to a wonderful time to catch up on some of his long-overdue research. But first he should probably drop Naruto's bag off at his apartment, if only to save himself from a headache later.

Leaping high and away from the pole he stood upon, Naruto slipped the small surfboard under his feet and glued his feet to it with chakra. Gathering more his chakra, he prepared for what would quickly become a wild ride.

After giving up on his search for clues on the origins of his katana, Naruto had shifted his attentions to another part of the shinobi arts: seals. However, he quickly found that he did not possess much talent in that area compared Jiraiya's previous apprentice. At the time he'd done this, he and Jiraiya had taken a short training vacation down to the beach. What he saw there inspired him to make his newest creation: surfers.

Steadying himself upon the surfboard, Naruto sent his chakra into the seals that covered the metal-plated wood. A blast of chakra saturated the air underneath the board, generating lift. An instant later the chakra began to push the air, which resulted in movement.

As though he were riding a wave of the ocean, Naruto swerved and slid through the air and winds in almost-graceful sweeps. No matter how many times he'd done this in the past two weeks, adrenaline flooded his veins and a loud whoop of pure joy sprang from his lips.

That single cheer was more than loud enough to alert nearly the entire population of Konoha to his return.

Like a rocket, Naruto swept through the air, arms back and his chest down. The rush of the warm morning air was a truly exhilarating feeling, sweeping through his slightly-longer hair and black headband straps. Down below him, he could see the growing crowds of Konoha staring and pointing at him in surprise, awe, and disgust (those that recognized him). A streak of mischievousness cut through him and he dove down towards the river of people.

They split and spread out quickly, trying to escape from his seemingly uncontrolled descent. Grinning like a madman, he pulled up just in time to skim over the heads of those who hadn't been fast enough, spraying them with fierce winds that knocked them over.

Laughing manically, he continued on for a ways, just reveling in the attention he was receiving. In no time though, he noticed that he was being followed by shinobi. Glancing off to the side, he spotted a familiar pair of expressionless animal masks. _So, the ANBU have come to play too?_

Pulling up slightly, he lazily drifted over the rooftops of a row of buildings and several of the ANBU, waving tauntingly at them. One of them made a leap for him, probably trying to tackle him. But Naruto merely shifted his weight and sent the surfboard into an aerial spin. The spin was enough to not only move him just out of the ANBU's reach, but also send the man flying back the way he'd come from the blasting winds underneath the surfboard.

Continuing on with his original course despite flying backwards, Naruto's laughter intensified as he watched the ANBU crash into his kunoichi partner in a rather _questionable_ position. However, his moment of inattention cost him dearly for he failed to notice the tree branch he was racing towards.

Caught by surprise, he was separated from his surfboard and dropped ungracefully to the ground in a crumpled heap. He lay still for a moment to catch his breath before bouncing to his feet again.

"Naruto?" a familiar voice spoke up from somewhere nearby. Turning, he spotted a familiar face.

"Ohayo, Shizune-san!" he said, grinning widely.

"What are you doing?" the aforementioned medic-nin asked, studying his appearance closely. He had grown so much!

"Having a little fun!" he answered quickly before rushing to his surfboard.

"Uzumaki! Get back here!" a demanding voice cried from a rooftop nearby.

In the span of time it had taken Shizune to glance over towards the rooftop to spot the growing number of ANBU and other shinobi that were chasing after the boy—no, teenager—a fierce gust of wind announced Naruto's departure.

The shinobi were converging on him, trying to capture him like they had done many times in the past. But things were different now: Naruto was in full control of the situation he was in. This was what the shinobi found out the hard way when the blonde took an abrupt, near-vertical climb _extremely_ high into the air.

Almost all eyes in Konoha that had been made aware of his presence followed his climb into the atmosphere into he was little more than an orange and black dot against the blue sky.

Looking down and seeing Konoha was little more than size of his fist, Naruto let a devious foxy grin split across his face. This was the moment he'd been planning and waiting for from nearly the instant he'd first conceived the Kazeodori in his mind.

Releasing the excess chakra that had been propelling him but remaining firmly attached to the surfboard, he let gravity gradually work its magic. Slowly at first his continued on his original journey into the air, then as his speed slowed and gravity increased, he reached the zenith of his climb.

Closing his eyes, he took a breath of the high atmosphere air before arching his body back as he began his decent. Purely for the enjoyment of the fall and the moment, Naruto threw himself into a complex series of rolls, spins, and somersaults. He ended up spinning wildly and almost uncontrollably upside-down, the Kazeodori acting in a similar manner to a propeller, all the while cheering like a fool.

Below him, the earth was rapidly rushing up at him. The dark specks on the ground quickly grew in size and became distinguishable. The Hokage Monument became larger and larger as he fell closer and closer towards the Hokage Tower. Even without his keen eyesight, he could tell that certain old woman was watching his fall in growing concern and fear.

When he was merely several hundred feet above the streets, he whipped the Kazeodori underneath himself and powered it up. In a fit of deafening laughter, he turned his fall into an exaggerated dive, kicking up a cloud of dust as he breezed down the street before rocketing away towards the training grounds.

All his shinobi pursuers could only stare at his retreating form after the two thousand meters of free fall he'd just pulled. One thought ran through the minds of many of them as they watched him disappear into the forestry.

_I've **got** to get one of **those!**_ That was their collective thought.

That had been quite an entrance from number one most unpredictable shinobi of Konoha.

* * *

**Training Ground 7**

Neither of them needed to guess where he might be. They knew instinctively, just from watching the general direction in which he'd gone. That was why Sakura and Sasuke were the first ones to appear at a very familiar training ground.

Lying lazily up against 'his' post and clearly dozing off as though he had just finished an extremely exhausting training session was a figure that they had not seen for more than two and a half years. Resting upon the ground next to him was what seemed to be a pint-sized surfboard with an intricate and complex series of seals painted into the wood and a katana with an orange-laced hilt.

Despite himself, Sasuke couldn't help but snort at Naruto's attire. And here he was hoping that he would be the only one among their team that would be using the shin and forearm armor. Well, at least Naruto had chosen to be consistent with his original color scheme.

Walking up to the blonde, Sasuke kicked lightly one of Naruto's heels. "Get up, Sekigan. It's past time I kicked your ass."

Snorting quietly, Naruto lazily rolled his head back to look up at the pair with his single blue eye. "Really now? ...Puh, I see you're still ugly, Kizuato. Though you don't look as much like a woman with those scars."

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura barked, a spark of anger slightly overriding her happiness at seeing the blonde again. "He's much better than you will ever be!"

"Ohayo to you too, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, turning one of his more endearing grins to her. "You certainly haven't changed much! Prettier than ever, I'd say!"

Sakura was momentarily torn between beating the shit out of her long-lost teammate and hugging him to death. And with her newfound strength, she most certainly could perform either one if she wanted to.

Bouncing lightly to his feet now that he'd seemed to have regained his breath, Naruto stood to his full height. In an instant they all realized the obvious. Before, Naruto was without a doubt the shortest among them. Now he stood eye-level with Sasuke and was several inches taller than Sakura.

"My goodness," Sakura said, staring at him in surprise.

"Heh, you're taller now," Sasuke observed, knowing he was pushing Naruto's buttons. His height had always been a sore spot for Naruto when they were younger, especially during their academy years.

Lashing out immediately, Naruto's fist met Sasuke's jaw, knocking him off-balance slightly. "_What? You thought I'd be RUNT when I'm __**FIFTEEN YEARS OLD?!!**_"

Of course as soon as Naruto had hit Sasuke, Sakura was already in motion. Her own fist slammed into his jaw and sent his tumbling for several dozen meters before he finally to a stop in the dirt.

As he was rolling over, Naruto heard the approach of another shinobi. Opening his eye, he stared up at a very familiar mess of spiky gray hair, a black mask, and the infamously known 'smiling eye.'

"Making friends everywhere you go, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, his wide and happy smile visible even through his mask.

"You have no idea," he muttered as he sat up and dusted himself off. Turning around to face the man while remaining seated on the ground, Naruto's face took on an almost unnatural stoic expression. After a moment of severe contemplation, he nodded to himself and reached into his new, larger equipment pouch hanging from his waist. "I've got a present for you, Hatake…Call it a 'gift of forgiveness.'"

With his back to them, neither Sasuke nor Sakura could clearly see what their teammate had whipped out and held before their former team sensei. But whatever it was seemed to freeze the man in horror, shock, or maybe even disbelief, it was hard to tell. Whatever it was, it sent Kakashi into a fit of uncharacteristic stuttering. And was he..._trembling?_

"_**W-WHAT?!!**_" the man gasped. "You…_H-How_…_Th-This_ is…!!!"

It was only when they drew up beside the pair that they realized what it was. Naruto held out a green-covered book by the title of Icha Icha Tactics.

"It's the newest addition to the Icha Icha series in over three years," Naruto said, not caring that Sakura's expression had suddenly begun to turn murderous. "Ero-Sannin insisted I read it. It's really boring, but I'll bet you'll still like it."

It had only been that those last few statements that had saved Naruto from having his head being driven two feet underground and allowed Kakashi to tentatively take hold the most precious gift he'd ever been blessed with.

"Reading perverted novels now, Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, sneering at Naruto's grimace of metaphorical pain.

"I had to!" he whined, sounding very much like the old Naruto they all knew. "It was either that or no ramen—as in _none_ at all—for six months straight!"

"You really are pathetic," Sasuke muttered, shaking his head in exasperation but unable to remove his grin. "You know that, right?"

"I love my ramen!" Naruto snapped, turning around to face away from his friend in a very childish manner.

Oh yeah, things had definitely taken a trip back to the norm for the reunited Team Seven.

* * *

**Near the Hyuuga Compound**

There was a lot of muttering and whispering passing through the crowds as she walked calmly down the street. Hinata wasn't exactly sure what had happened and was straining her ears for whatever clippings of rumors that she could. Now she wished that she hadn't taken quite so long in the hot spring getting...cleaned up, because apparently she'd missed whatever had just occurred.

"…_back, can you_…"

"…_brat should've been_…"

"…_seen him flying by_…"

The only times she had ever heard people muttering in such hateful tones were when…Naruto-kun was around. In an instant, her heart fluttered as her hopes soared into the sky. Was it possible that he was back already? But she'd been told that he'd be gone for three years...

Caught up in her contemplations, Hinata didn't notice who she'd passed until a gentle hand touched her shoulder. Flinching, she glanced over at the gloved hand and quickly followed it up to the face of the person who held her.

Hanging upside-down from the tree that she was currently standing under, his bright blue eye shining with happiness and amusement at her expression, was a clone of her long-lost crush, Uzumaki Naruto. He wore a soft smile as he memorized her features, taking in every single detail, right down the slight dampness of her considerably longer hair.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan," he said, an endearing foxy grin spreading across his upside-down face.

"O-O-Oha…yo, N-N-Naru…to-kun," she finally managed to stutter out, feeling extremely lightheaded all of a sudden.

"Don't faint on me now," Naruto said, his grin widening as a chuckle escaped his lips. "I still can't quite catch you, you know?"

"_Remember not to faint, Hinata-chan, I won't be there to pick you up anymore,_" she could clearly remember Naruto-kun saying those very words before leaving, even after all this time. At that memory and what he had just said to her, Hinata's face lit with one of her patented blushes.

Seeing her reaction, Naruto chuckled again before dropping to the ground. Landing lightly on his feet, he turned and stood in front of her. For a moment, both just stared at one another. It was hard to judge who moved first, but one thing is obvious. By the end of that moment, both of them were embracing the other tightly.

"I'm home," he whispered into Hinata's ear. "my Hinata-hime."

* * *

**(Author's Note)** For some reason, I just felt really reenergized as I was writing this chapter. Maybe it's the thrill of starting a new story or being able to finally introduce a few of my long-suppressed ideas? Whatever the reason, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. 

I wonder how many of you can guess where I got the inspiration behind Team Seven's reunion? But I have to say that I'm happy I was able to keep that whole Icha Icha gift in this story, I just loved that scene in canon!

As you can no doubt see, despite my misgivings for it, I'm keeping Makaze Rekidaishi as a part of the overall storyline. There are quite a few things that occurred in MR that will play a pivotal role in Chuuten, I can promise you that!

Chuuten—Rising into the Heavens  
Kizuato—Scar, Naruto's nickname for Sasuke  
Sekigan—One Eye, Sasuke's nickname for Naruto  
_Seigi no Migite_—Right Hand of Justice (yes, I changed the name from Meirei no Migite due to several reviewers pointing out some errors in the translation that I made)  
_Kazeodori_—Dancing Wind, name of the surfboard Naruto created to ride the winds with. This surfboard is highly maneuverable and possessing a surprisingly great acceleration velocity. However, it is highly dependant on Naruto's supply of chakra and consumes much of it very quickly. The amount necessary to fuel it for even five hundred meters of flight is greater than many fresh-Chuunin reserves usually are.


	2. Catching Up

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 2: Catching Up_

**Konoha, Training Grounds  
****8:00am**

He waited as patiently as his overeager body could allow. He was concealed within a bush a fair distance ahead his target and was watching his target carefully. He did not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to himself than he could prevent.

Walking nonchalantly in between his teammates, his target was wearing an overly-large grin on his face and was talking in a voice that slightly quieter than he was known for. It would seem that his target had grown up in more ways than just his height. Plus he seemed to have acquired himself some new weapons, a katana and some kind of flying surfboard.

He soon realized that if they drew any closer than they were, his position would be compromised. He bit down on his thumbs and quickly smeared the blood upon his palms. 'Fire' and 'bird' were written in kanji on his right and left palms respectively. Channeling his chakra into those blood-seals, he quickly went through the fifteen handseals.

"Sarutobi no Jutsu!" he whispered to himself.

His target and his companions scarcely had a moment's warning before they were beset by a large stone head that erupted from the earth and charged them. Well…they would've if they hadn't sensed his presence as they were approaching him. Due to their lack of surprise, each reacted accordingly. His target and his dark-haired male companion each leapt to opposing sides of the path. The girl merely jumped up and over the Sandaime Hokage-shaped face.

His target was on the move, already seeking him out. That was why he had turned and ran off as soon as he'd launched the jutsu. He needed to get a better spot.

Feeling a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, Konohamaru abruptly halted. Throwing his hands into the hitsuji handseal, he erupted into smoke and was quickly replaced by a drop-dead gorgeous brunette with long ponytails.

As the smoke cleared, Konohamaru turned to where 'she' knew Naruto to be standing, showing off 'her' rather substantial assets.

"Ohayo, Naruto-_kun_," 'she' said in a _very_ seductive voice, even winking at him suggestively.

The only reaction from Naruto was a slight twitch of his lips, even as Sasuke and Sakura quickly joined his side. Realizing that his jutsu had no effect on its creator, Konohamaru dropped it quickly with a large grin.

"What did you think of that, Naruto-niisan?" he asked, voice laced with mischievous deviousness. "Bet you didn't see _that_ one coming!"

Grinning slightly, Naruto nodded. "Not bad, Konohamaru, you've mastered the Sarutobi no Jutsu a lot sooner than I'd thought you would. But…you shouldn't use the Oiroke anymore."

As Konohamaru was staring at his friend and 'big brother,' Sakura felt her respect for Naruto go up several pegs. He didn't want his 'little brother' using that repulsive jutsu anymore? Naruto certainly had grown up.

Sasuke, however, was the only one to see the minuscule smirk cross the blonde's face. _Oh boy, here we go_, he thought, having a pretty good idea of what was coming next. And Naruto didn't disappoint him either.

"Such a jutsu is mediocre now!" Naruto said, quickly going into his 'full rant' mode. "_Behold the __**newest**__ perverted kinjutsu I've created!_"

Just as Naruto was putting his hands into the hitsuji seal, Sakura's backhanded fist connected with his cheek as she screamed, "_**BAKA!!**_"

Momentarily stunned from the unexpected blow, Naruto barely had time to stumble when Sakura grabbed him and began shaking him vigorously while continuing her own rant about his seemingly low maturity level.

Sasuke just watched the scene in amusement. It would seem that Sakura was indeed _very_ happy to see Naruto hadn't changed too much, in character at least. Glancing over at Konohamaru, he noticed that the pre-teen had disappeared and was hiding behind a nearby tree. It didn't take Sasuke long to realize he feared that Sakura would turn her wrath—and strength—upon him next since, technically, _he_ had been the one to use the Oiroke in the first place.

Walking forward, he grabbed Sakura's shoulder firmly as he said, "That's enough, Sakura. You're scaring Konohamaru."

The enraged kunoichi paused and looked over towards the hiding Konohamaru before she let the limp blonde fall to the ground.

* * *

"Naruto seems to have become more like you in these past few years," Tsunade muttered disapprovingly as they too watched the scene unfold from not too far away. 

_Such beauty and strength_, Jiraiya was thinking with a sad frown. _You've been raising another 'Tsunade' yourself, haven't you?_

"Actually," he said quietly. "the brat tried to use his Rasengan on me each time I tried to get him to accompany me on my research expeditions. It wasn't until I started threatening his ramen supply that he started to really learn what I was teaching."

"I did _not_ want to hear that," Tsunade growled dangerously to him, only a few hairs away from pummeling the elder pervert.

"Gomen, gomen!" he said hurriedly. "Must be the nostalgia getting to me."

"Sure," she drawled, returning her attention to Naruto and his team for a moment. Turning, she started to walk back to the Hokage Tower, pulling Jiraiya with her. "Now tell me what you've learned of this 'Seigi no Migite'."

* * *

**Ichiraku Ramen Bar  
****8:15am**

"_Oi, Ojisan!!_" a loud voice yelled from the street. "Better fire up some broth, _I'M HUNGRY!!!_"

It was a voice that caused many customers that were currently residing within the confines of the restaurant to turn away in disgust or to suddenly leave with their meals half finished.

But it was a voice that she had been waiting to hear since his clone had left her. Turning away from her own bowl of miso ramen, Hinata watched as the blonde of her dreams rushed to the counter and sat down next to her with a wide smile. Behind him, Sasuke and Sakura were only a few steps away. But seeing as they'd already eaten, they merely sat down on Naruto's other side.

"Ah, Naruto!" Teuchi said smiling, happy to have his best customer back. "The usual?"

"Hai!" Naruto replied, smiling happily and waving cheerfully to Ayame. "And make it a good one!"

"How are you doing, Hinata-hime?" Naruto asked, turning his attention to the girl. "Not still getting fevers all the time, are you?"

A faint blush lit up her cheeks as she shook her head. It would take quite a bit of getting use to being called her Naruto-kun's 'princess.' Hinata was quite sure though that Naruto knew it was a _blush_ that always lit up her cheeks. Why did he always say that it was probably a fever? "I-I've been doing q-quite well, Naruto-kun."

"Hime?" Sasuke asked from Naruto's left with an arched eyebrow.

"That's right!" Naruto said still wearing a smile though a faint blush began lining his own cheeks. "Hinata-hime's _way_ too pretty to be called Hinata-_chan_ anymore!"

That drew a small peep from Hinata and a quiet gasp from Sakura. Both boys looked towards the girl they were closest to. Hinata wore an even brighter blush on her cheeks and could not find the strength of will to even be able to glance towards the boy next to her. _H-He called me…p-pretty!_

Sakura looked surprised for a moment. But that look quickly changed and she suddenly looked as though she'd been sucking on a lemon. _So __**I'M**__ not pretty enough?!_ That was her feminine pride speaking as she cast Sasuke a questioning glare. _Is that why __**he**__ hasn't ever called me Sakura-__**chan **__before?_

"Relax," Sasuke whispered, somehow knowing approximately what her thoughts were. "You know how he gets with her."

It was as he was saying this that a memory rose up in her mind of the time when she had tried to show Naruto her first original jutsu. An accident had led to Naruto and Hinata experiencing their first kiss. Hinata had fainted afterward, of course. But Naruto, though he had no doubt greatly enjoyed it, had vehemently sworn that it had been unintentional and that he would never had violated Hinata's privacy like that. In fact, Sakura had a sudden suspicion that he _still_ stuck to that belief.

"What's _that_ suppose to mean, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, easily hearing his hushed voice.

"Only that you're in love with Hinata-san, dobe," Sasuke said nonchalantly. In his mind, he counted down to the impending explosion. _Three…two…one…and…_

"_**WHAT?!!!**_" Naruto practically yelled, standing up from the stool he was sitting on reflexively.

"I didn't stutter, Naruto," Sasuke said levelly, barely hiding his smirk or the amusement from voice. Oh he _loved_ this!

If there was one thing that could've stopped the impending brawl from happening, Hinata's convenient fainting was just that. The blonde was only just barely able to catch her before she collided with the ground. Hoisting her up, he laid her up against the counter as he continued talking, "Teme! I'm not in love with Hinata-chan! We're just friends!"

"Oh, really?" Sakura asked, mirroring Sasuke's small grin.

"Don't get started, Sakura-chan!" Naruto practically begged. The last thing he needed right now was for both his teammates to be involved on this issue. "This isn't one of your sappy romance stories, you know!"

"Hm…" was all Sakura purred, watching Naruto every movement near the unconscious Hyuuga heir with all the finesse of a magnifying glass.

Turning back to Sasuke, Naruto's sent a hybrid of a glare and an amused glance towards the Uchiha. "What do you mean 'dobe'? I'll have you know that I wasn't just peeping these past two years!"

Sasuke's familiar smirk returned as he eyed the blonde with a knowing sneer. "You don't know yet, do you?"

"Know what?!"

"Of our graduating class," Sakura said. Though she was hoping to stave off another fight, she couldn't contain a slight smirk of her own. "All of us have been promoted to Chuunin...all except you."

There was a moment of complete silence that hung over the group in Ichiraku. Despite their attempts, Naruto's face remained an annoying stoic expression for just that moment. Then, almost faster than the untrained eye could follow, it morphed into a horrified and disbelieving gawk.

"_**WHAT?!!?!?!**_" Naruto screamed so loudly that all within a ten-meter radius of him was suddenly experiencing an extreme case of ringing eardrums.

After a moment, Sasuke decided to add extra salt to the wound. "I was promoted to Jounin about six months ago."

Even a civilian could've seen the jealousy that was writhing behind that bright blue eye. But rather than start ranting, Naruto just set his jaw and turned back to his ramen while swearing to himself to enter the _very_ next Chuunin Exam. _Nothing_ short of a global crisis would prevent him from surpassing his greatest rival!!

"Hey, look here!" a loud bark called from behind them. "I thought I recognized that stink earlier."

Turning, Team Seven spotted Inuzuka Kiba walking towards them. Slung haphazardly over his shoulders were several bags of what seemed to be dog food and various other miscellaneous items. His common beastly smile was as wide as ever, a hint of devious cunning glinting in his eyes.

"Well, well," he said walking up to the group. "The team's back together again." He couldn't help but chuckle as he glanced between the three members. Somehow, each of them suddenly knew what he was about to say. "The Konoha no—"

Kiba suddenly found his windpipe closed, courtesy of Sakura, and with a katana digging uncomfortably into his side. Two of the members of Team Seven had a steely gaze of barely restrained anger in their eyes as they glared at the gasping Inuzuka. The final member, Naruto, was just glancing back and forth between the trio in confusion.

"Don't you _ever_ say that…_nickname_ again, Kiba-san," Sakura said fiercely. Of the three, she was rightfully the most embarrassed by it and that…_nickname_ would forever haunt her now.

Kiba's grin, though very strained from his awkward position and lack of oxygen, didn't falter. If his throat wasn't currently clamped shut by Sakura's steel grip, he would've been chuckling at their reactions.

"Sakura, Sasuke," Naruto said cautiously. "What are you doing?"

After a moment, Sakura lowered Kiba down though she kept a resentful glare on him. Sasuke merely sheathed his weapon and turned back to the counter. Rubbing feeling and blood flow back into his aching throat, Kiba's grin continued.

"You mean you haven't seen it yet, Uzumaki?" Kiba asked, grinning slyly.

Now Naruto was becoming worried. Having spent the last six months since that mission in the desert, he was rather out of date on current events. "Seen what?"

"Our mission to Snow Country," Sakura muttered quietly. In an instant, all was made crystal clear for the blonde.

"Y-Y-You mean h-he _actually_ made it?!" Naruto stuttered, his mind running rampart with thousands of terrible scenarios. Of the situation, he could only thank all the gods that had ever existed that Hinata had fallen unconscious earlier. "I…_I hate that bastard!_"

"Yup, he certainly did make it!" Kiba said, grinning widely as Naruto's horror-struck expression. Just to add salt to the wounds, he began listing off the details. "It took them quite a while, two years actually, to put it together though. It got first released about two months ago. And if you don't like it so much, why did you participate in that movie?"

"It wasn't like we had a choice at the time, Kiba," Naruto grumbled. Glancing over at Sasuke and Sakura, he could not contain his dread as he asked, "What did they call us?"

"'_Princess Gale and the Konoha no Gogyou_' was the title," Sasuke answered stiffly. "And ever since then, _everyone_ has been calling us that…_despicable_ name."

Naruto was momentarily torn between his feelings for this new and unwanted nickname. On the one hand, the name was a somewhat good one. But on the other hand, the last thing he and his teammates wanted was to be associated with that movie. Rather than say anything, he decided to happily dive headlong back into his cooling ramen.

However, Kiba was far from ready to abandon a prime teasing subject. "Wanna know what the real shame is? That they wasted the best-selling film of the year on you guys."

Snorting slightly, Sasuke stood and started to walk away. "I'll see you guys at the Hokage Tower in an hour."

"Oi, wait for me!" Naruto yelled, quickly slapping money down for his single bowl of ramen. In his rush, Naruto failed to notice the group's surprised stares. Honestly, how often was it that Naruto only ate _one_ bowl of Ichiraku's Ramen?

* * *

**Outside the Hyuuga Compound  
****8:50am**

It was nearly time for him to report Tsunade. However, he was quite content to walk slowly back towards the Hokage Tower. He had just come from his old apartment and dropping off the Kazeodori. It had relieved him to see that Ero-Sannin had been thoughtful enough to leave his discarded rucksack inside the small apartment.

As he slowly trudged down the street, re-exploring Konoha, he found himself delving into nearly-forgotten memories. It had been a long time ago that he had first taken this route on his way to the Shinobi Academy. At the time, he had been lost and almost late to his first day to start training on how to become a shinobi.

Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate of him, he had taken a left instead of a right turn. He had found himself racing a series of streets that always had a lot of Hyuuga on. Thankfully at the time, he had only run into a single one when he had accidentally dropped his lunch of cup ramen.

Smiling slightly, Naruto clearly remembered his first impression of Hinata when he had first seen her. In fact, it was rather appropriate in his mind at how he met her. She had been wearing a white kimono and daintily carrying her academy supplies and bento box in a bag, standing just outside the main gate of the Hyuuga Compound.

He had been wearing merely a filthy, orange shirt, black shorts, and sandals that were three-sizes too large for his small feet. He had dropped his cup ramen and stumbled while trying to race back and get it. However, he had found himself at Hinata's feet. His first thought of her was actually more of an impulse.

_Wow…pretty!!_

Of course, since he was only six at the time, he had tried to shake that thought from his mind since all girls had cooties after all. But she seemed…different from the other girls. And though his feelings for girls in general hadn't changed after that encounter, he would always try to go out of his way to be friendly towards his Hinata-chan.

This sentiment only increased as he got to know her a little bit and she never once tried to push him away. As a child raised in an orphanage, unable to call anything his own (not even the clothes he wore), then kicked out as soon as he could fend for himself, he latched onto the girl tightly. She had been the first person of his age group that hadn't shunned him, making her his instant best friend and more precious of people. And though he could play with her when they were younger, they had grown to share a rather special bond.

At least he liked to think so.

Lost in his daydreams and memories, Naruto hadn't realized that he'd stopped and was gazing unseeingly at the very spot where two young children had met long ago. But when a sudden spike of killing intent was thrown his way, shinobi instincts kicked in.

He bounced lightly to the top of the building on the opposite side of the street. Though nothing happened, he knew that the intent's originator would've thrown a hail of shuriken in his way if he could've. For a long moment, Naruto just stared down at a pair of hate-filled white eyes that glared back at him.

The Hyuuga in question was the usual atypical Hyuuga Chuunin. In his late teens, hair as dark as black and reaching to his longer back and with a body that might've had him a small fan-club if he'd only wanted to show it off. Yet the fury that the Hyuuga was sending Naruto far surpassed the common disgust and anger that the villagers usually threw his way.

Did he somehow personally offend this Hyuuga?

"What do you want, Hyuuga?" Naruto asked cautiously, ready to flee if need be.

For a moment, it seemed as though he wouldn't receive an answer. But then the Hyuuga darted forward and leapt up the building as well, landing less than ten meters away. The only thing preventing Naruto from dropping into a defensive stance was the lack of any real killing desire that he could sense from the Chuunin's aura.

"What is your relationship with Hinata-sama, Uzumaki?" the Hyuuga demanded.

"You know," Naruto said slowly, annoyance coloring his voice. "It is considered rude to not introduce one's self to another they have called out to."

"Hyuuga Himochi," the Hyuuga growled, clearly straining to keep his voice civil. "Now answer me!"

"Why does it matter to you?" Naruto asked. He was getting a _very_ bad feeling about this Hyuuga.

"I know you like her," Himochi said. "Consider this a…_friendly_ warning, she is _not_ meant for _you_."

A moment of silence hung over the two glaring teenagers before the blonde-haired Genin said, "Let's let _her_ decide that…"

"There's no need," Himochi said, a sneer pulling at his lips. "It's already been decided."

"By who?" In an instant, Naruto made the connection. There were only one or two groups of people who would want to _seriously_ keep Hinata-chan away from him. And those people were…her clan council or the village council.

"Seeing as you are not a member of the Hyuuga clan," Himochi said, puffing his chest up slightly in pride. "you are not privileged to information that does not immediately concern you."

"Then why don't you give your 'oh-so-wise' council a message for me," Naruto said, narrowing his eye slightly. If Himochi had looked close enough, he'd have noticed a hint of purple filtering into his blue eye. "Have them tell the bastard that he'll have to deal with me if he—"

"You'll do _what?_" Himochi demanded in a _very_ conceited tone.

Naruto's earlier bad feeling towards the Hyuuga suddenly multiplied fivefold. _He's the one…_ It took all Naruto's self-control and then some to not slam his Fuuton: Rasengan into Himochi's face in order to wiping that sneer from his face.

"…It would be within your best interests to never again cross my path again," Naruto growled, sending a concentrated wave of bloodlust upon the Chuunin as he stared into the young man's eyes with a pair of red ones.

As dignified as he could manage under the suffocating aura, Himochi sneered at the blonde one last time before dropping to the street and walking back into the Hyuuga Compound. Naruto's bloodlust followed him every millimeter of the way.

* * *

**Ne Headquarters  
****Same time…**

Seated at a desk, a scarred old man growled to himself. In front of him was a report of one of his operatives. It was with disgust that he set the report to one side. _So, the demon's returned…_

There had once been a time when he'd thought that the boy would come to him, seeking acceptance and guidance. The boy's power had been immense right from the start. It had practically been screaming at him to wield it as it should've been. That was the only reason that he hadn't sent on his ANBU to deal with the brat when he was younger and vulnerable.

But the boy had shown himself to be stubbornly loyal to Konoha and the Hokage. He knew that there was no chance of him being able to recruit the boy under his wing. The man known as Danzou had little doubt that the brat would throw himself headlong into the chaos that was to come. And he'd do it all in an attempt to 'protect his home' from the forces that he had been raised and taught to believe were evil.

Yet…perhaps there was a way to guide him down the path that the Sandaime Hokage had turned him away from. If he could tweak certain situations then there was still a chance that he'd start to…see things as how they were. Rather than how he thought.

It was this thought that caused him to come to a new revelation.

_I shall have to modify my plans after all._

* * *

**(Author's Note) **Well, there's Chapter 2. I'm sorry that it isn't longer but I wanted to introduce some background knowledge and scenarios before continuing on. Considering the timeline I'm working with, this was only available time open to do so. Unless, of course, you all had wanted to wait until after the whole 'Rescue Gaara' arc. 

Sorry about the late arrival. This time I can't completely blame it on work. I was also experiencing slightly writer's block and a severe case of laziness. Hopefully, it won't carry over to the next chapter.

Cherif Sow: I haven't been ignoring you, in case you're worried. The fact is that when I tried to email you, it wouldn't connect. Could you possibly set up a new email (i.e. hotmail, yahoo, etc.), and we'll talk some more okay?

So, Team 7 has been given a new unofficial nickname. One they abhorred, apparently. The Hyuuga seem to have plans in the works for Hinata-hime. And Danzou is plotting something already. Big surprise, eh?

_Konoha no Gogyou_—Five Elements of Konohagakure: Technically, Gogyou doesn't necessarily mean the elements of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning. But for the purpose of the story, we'll just pretend it does okay?  
_Himochi_—fire-holding qualities  
_Ne_—Root, division of the ANBU under Danzou's leadership


	3. Team Seven Returns

**This chapter is dedicated to FictionReader98 for all the support and flexibility you've had towards me since you started _Ninja Clash_. I cannot express in words my gratitude. Thank you, my friend.**

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 3: Team Seven Returns_

**Hokage Tower, Konohagakure  
****8:59am**

"_Reiketsukan_ _junshu_… _kusottare_," grumbled an extremely pissed off Uzumaki Naruto as he walked slowly into the Hokage Tower. "_Kutabacchimae!_"

Those and quite a few much more colorful insults were uttered from the blonde as he had walked through Konoha. The people that heard the whispered insults either glared at his oblivious form or blushed at the sheer absurdity of the said comments.

He took slow, perfectly measured steps with his eye glaring hatefully yet unseeingly down upon the ground that he treaded on. With his arms crossed angrily over his chest and a deep frown marring his face, furious red-hot flames would not have been out of place to show how angry Naruto currently was.

It was not until he felt a familiar gaze upon his shoulders that Naruto's head snapped up. With a large, seemingly genuine smile, Naruto turned and mocked bowed to the person who was watching him.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Babaa!" he loudly proclaimed, his fake smile quickly becoming a mischievous grin.

Due to him having his eye closed in exclamation and not sensing any killing intent, he was quite caught by surprise with the blonde Hokage's hand slapped against his cheek. Tsunade had put enough force into throw him into a spin and leave an angry red imprint. He made no attempt to prevent himself from falling to the ground in front of her in the hallway.

"Konnichiwa, Naruto," she replied pleasantly, staring down at him as he rubbed his cheek with a small, pained grin.

"Still so sensitive about how _old_ you are, Babaa?" Naruto asked, chuckling as he continued rubbing the sting out of his cheek. Snorting at the blonde's attempts to get a further rise out of her, Tsunade turned and started walking towards her office.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she carefully watched as he climbed to his feet and followed her. She was happy that he had arrived a few minutes earlier than was necessary; now she could properly greet him.

It was nice to see him again. The village just hadn't quite been the same without him, in her opinion. Yet how ever short a time ago he had returned, it would seem that he had already discovered something that had set his anger off. And if she knew him as well as she hoped she did, it could only be one thing.

The Hyuuga clan.

Passing through the doors, she waited for him to follow and close them behind him. As soon as the doors were closed, she whirled around and snatched him into a bone-crushing hug. She purposely ignored his panicked thrashing and escape attempts, her strength was just too great for him to break free of.

"If I ever assign you to go away for so long again, I will retire from Hokage early," she said, affection coating her words. "I missed you, Uzumaki Naruto."

However, no amount of that affection reached the blonde who she now held. His face was starting to turn blue and his movements gradually slowing down. Looking down at his familiar bright blue eye, she raised her arm up just enough to lift him off the ground.

"However, if you _ever_ pull a stunt like the one you did this morning again," she growled, allowing her pent-up anger at his reckless actions to color her voice. "I will _personally_ send you meet your ancestors in the afterlife!"

"…Gomen—nasai…" Naruto was barely able to gasp out. Even if he could've found a way to escape this situation, there was no way he could bring harm to his beloved obaasan. This was the reason he managed to utter out one final word with the remainder of the oxygen in his lungs. "…mercy!"

"Tsunade-sensei?" a familiar voice asked from behind them. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching this gaki a lesson about scaring people," she answered without looking back. "You're a little early Sakura-san."

Sakura remained where she had entered the room. It was quite amusing and heartwarming to see her usually tough sensei showing her more loving side. Of course, Naruto would probably have disagreed in an instant given how blue his face currently was.

Finally relenting, Tsunade released the captured blonde. With the sudden freedom and unrestrained flow of oxygen into his system, Naruto staggered away with audible gasps.

Sasuke walked into the room and raised his eyebrow questioningly. Naruto ignored him in favor of trying to renew the blood flow through his neck. Choosing to ignore the blonde in turn, Sasuke took his place between his teammates as they walked up to the Hokage's desk.

"As of this moment," Tsunade said as she seated herself. "The Konoha no Gogyou is officially reinstated as a Team Seven." It gave her a certain amount of devious glee to see the trio squirm at the mere mention that _name_. "However, due to the fact that none of you have really interacted for three years, I have scheduled a little 'test' to measure each of your new abilities."

"A test?" Sakura asked. "What kind of test? Who's giving it?"

"That would be me," a voice said from an open window to the side. Kakashi lounged there with his face predictably buried in his new book.

"Aw man!" Naruto groaned, slouching slightly. "I was hoping to get a few weeks off."

"What?" Sakura asked as everyone in the room looked at him, not believing a word that he'd spoken. "Why not, Naruto?"

"Hey!" Naruto cried, throwing his hands up as if to ward off an attack. "I just got home from Ero-Sannin's evil training trip! I thought I deserved a vacation! Why don't you come back in three months?"

"I guess you'll miss the Chuunin Exam that's taking place in a week then," Kakashi said, returning his attention back to his book. "It's the last one we're having for another six months. Which means you'll have to follow Sasuke who, as a Jounin, is now the leader of—"

"So when do we get started, Baka-sensei?" Naruto called out, a cheeky grin on his face.

Rolling their eyes at the newly-returned blonde, Sakura and Sasuke both turned to face their former sensei. Though, given the knowing grins that each of the three were wearing, it was clear they already knew.

"Training Ground Seven," Kakashi said. In a rare moment of inspiration, he decided to add in a little incentive. "and the last one there will be tied to a post."

Before any of them could move or speak, he turned and vanished, a small smirk hidden safely behind his mask.

**

* * *

****Training Ground Seven  
****9:07am**

"You know," Naruto said with a nostalgic tone as he looked around the training field for the second time that day. "if this place never changes, I wouldn't mind in the least."

"I know what you mean," Sakura said.

Even though she had seen it far more often than Naruto over the past two and a half years, having her missing teammate back brought with it a powerful sense of nostalgia. This was why she joined the blonde in looking around the moderately-sized field surrounded by the forests with a small river flowing through one side of the clearing.

"So tell me, Kakashi," Sasuke said, taking charge of the situation. "What kind of 'test' do you have in mind for us?"

"Oh nothing that you haven't done before," Kakashi said evasively, digging in his weapons' pouch and extracting something. "Actually, I think we'll start off with one of my favorites."

A pair of bells dropped into view from his fingers.

"Like before," Kakashi continued, as he stuffed his book into his pouch. "if you don't come at with the intent to kill, you most likely will fail to get them. The time limit, however, is at sunrise tomorrow."

All three members of Team Seven had small grins on their faces when they saw the bells. Sakura dug into her pouch and pulled out a pair of black gloves which she quickly donned. Naruto absentmindedly tightened his headband. Even Sasuke reached up to tighten the straps of the armor plates over his arms.

"No way could you've already finished the Icha Icha Tactics, Baka-sensei," Naruto said, grinning. "Not even _you_ could do that."

"I guess he's being serious this time," Sakura said with a small but bright smile.

"Of course I am," Kakashi said as he exposed his Sharingan eye. "Something's telling me to not underestimate you guys this time."

"Against me? Perhaps…" Sasuke said, managing to keep a straight face. "since I'm the only other _Jounin_ here."

A low, almost unheard growl sounded from Naruto's throat at yet another quirk from Sasuke about his rank. A pleased smirk appeared on Sasuke's face. His unofficial mission of constantly irritating Naruto had yet another success. And what a _satisfying_ one at that!

"I wouldn't be too cocky if I were you, Sasuke," Kakashi warned with his voice surprisingly stern. "As a Jounin, an Uchiha, and above all else: my apprentice, I am holding you to a _very_ high standard. So if you fail this test, you can expect another one of our _special_ training sessions afterward."

Naruto's face shifted between a glare at Kakashi to a slightly confused and interested stare. It would seem that even after these years, Kakashi still seemed to hold Sasuke higher than him! Yet, what was this training session he threatened Sasuke with? Glancing at him, he saw the usually reserved Uchiha's face wearing an undisguised look of horror…and was that a _blush_ on his cheeks?

Due to the fact that Sakura was also watching Sasuke's reaction, he could clearly see the devilish grin that was pulling at her lips and a deadly shine in her green eyes. Evidently, she knew what these training sessions were and found amusement in them. Now Naruto was _really_ curious!

A sudden desire to end this test erupted to life inside him. He couldn't wait to interrogate—I mean _question_—the Uchiha about this subject! With this growing impulse, he glanced back at Kakashi. The man didn't seem to be on guard at the second since he was clearly about to continue his lecture of his expectations of the other two.

Discreetly moving his hand, Naruto snatched out several shuriken and hurled them at the Hatake. Forewarned by his Sharingan, Kakashi easily ducked under them and sent a few of his own back towards his attacking student. When Naruto predictably jumped over them, he threw another wave at the blonde who was now caught suspended in midair.

With a sudden show of surprising flexibility, the blonde twisted in midair and dodged the deadly weapons with plenty of space to spare. As he landed and turned in one move, Naruto snatched the handle of the katana strapped to his back. Even as he was turning to start the charge towards his former sensei, a sudden pair of hands with grips like iron grabbed his wrist and a handful of his hair. With just a slight twist, the partially unsheathed blade of the weapon was positioned at the base of his neck.

Kakashi just grinned at the position that he now held his most rebellious yet very talented student. But before he could say anything, he sensed the sudden appearance of a Kage Bunshin behind him, poking a kunai into his unprotected backside. When Naruto had had the time to summon it, he wasn't too sure. Perhaps when he had dodged those shuriken in the air?

"I see your impatience hasn't changed since last time," Kakashi said quietly.

For a moment they all relived a memory that was almost a perfect replica of their current positions. Naruto held at kunai point by Kakashi after trying to attack him before the start of the very same test. During both times, Sakura and Sasuke had just stood to the side, watching bemused as their sensei outmaneuvered the blonde.

"I just really want to go see Hinata-hime," was Naruto's mumbled excuse since he didn't want to hint his intention of following Sasuke to answer his question.

That little statement drew a small grin from Kakashi nonetheless as he released Naruto. "Alright, start!" he said, vanishing in a poof of smoke.

Quickly looking around for any indication of his location, Sakura came to a fast realization. If he's not in sight and no noticeable signs of genjutsu, there was only one place he could be.

"Below!" she yelled as she bent down and punched the earth powerfully underneath her. A massive crater, easily twenty meters in diameter, was formed in the ground as the earth was splintered.

Only Sasuke had been ready for the shockwaves and maintained his balance. Naruto was comically thrown off-balance while gaping at Sakura in shock. Kakashi, who had indeed hidden underground, was also gaping at her from the crevice he could see her. Sure, he'd heard Sasuke once mention in passing that she had grown very physically strong but not to _this_ extent!

From her position in the disheveled ground, Sakura easily spotted her target with a look of restrained confidence and eagerness. "Found you!"

"Very impressive, Sakura-san," Kakashi said, quickly gathering his wits and climbing back to the surface. "You are indeed a student of Godaime-sama."

Sakura just gave him a small, almost nervous smile.

"Well then," Sasuke said, stepping forward as his Sharingan activated. "Perhaps it's time to get serious."

"Hai!" Naruto and Sakura cheered as all three suddenly dashed forward.

Snatching a kunai from his pouch as his patented Oboro no Jutsu came to life, Naruto flashed through a five one-handed handseals. Jabbing his kunai forward, a sudden powerful gust of concentrated wind raced forward. Kakashi barely was able to dodge the Kunai Soufuu Atsu.

As soon as he landed, he was forced to evacuate that spot as well. Sasuke had sent a large Goukakyuu straight at him. Rolling to the side, Kakashi snapped to his feet in time to see a blonde missile flying right at him. He caught just a glimpse of Sakura straightening herself after throwing the teenager.

Naruto was much too close for him to dodge again, so Kakashi turned and grabbed the outstretched fist racing at him. Using the boy's momentum against him, he twisted and hurled him away. But the teenager just seemed to bounce off the ground for a moment before rebounding back on the man.

Charging on both sides, like their earlier jutsu, Naruto and Sasuke rushed the Hatake. Seeing Naruto leap into the air to deliver a flying kick, Sasuke slid along the ground in an attempt to disrupt Kakashi's footing. Easily seeing their strategy, Kakashi hopped away and watched as the two sailed past one another.

Recoiling much quicker than he'd anticipated, Kakashi was beset by a literal whirlwind of punches and kicks from the blonde. Dodging a particularly strong punch, Kakashi bent back and kicked Naruto powerfully into his chin, knocking the blonde slightly into the air.

Seeing an opening, Sasuke dashed in and hit his sensei with a kick to his unprotected backside. The blow sent the man stumbling forward, right into the kick that Naruto had thrown his way. From his new position, buckled painfully over Naruto's feet, Kakashi could see that the blonde had managed to both land and push himself off the ground using his hands as an anchor. The added movement of rising off the ground and towards his target gave his kick a considerable bit more power than he might normally have been able to do.

Before Kakashi could properly orient himself, Naruto thrust his hands upon the ground again. This time he pushed himself much higher and giving himself a bit of a spin as he threw a fast punch. The punch hit the same time that a following kick from Sasuke hit his side.

Bouncing off the ground like a skipping stone, Kakashi turned and rolled. Quickly sliding to his feet while digging small trenches in the dirt, he caught a familiar scent as the third teammate tried to rush his back. Sidestepping her chakra-enhanced fist, he grabbed Sakura's arm and threw her back towards the boys.

After sliding under Sakura's flailing body, Naruto jumped into the air again as he neared the man. About the same time that Sasuke caught Sakura, Naruto had brought an ax-kick down towards the man's head. Predictably, Kakashi blocked it and pushed the blonde's leg back up into the air to throw off his center of balance.

Catching his fall in a handstand, Naruto did not even bother to right himself. Using his new position, he began throwing repeated kicks into Kakashi's face as quickly as he could. Crossing his arms into a basic guard, Kakashi took the blows with a bit of salt. He had not expected Naruto to be so relentless in his attacks.

However, he instantly saw an obvious opening in the blonde's attack. With his hands partially immobile and his feet trying to pummel his opponent's face, Naruto had left his entire torso unguarded! Stepping back slightly, he threw a fast kick at the opening.

Already predicting such an attack, Naruto withdrew his legs into a ball. Then he pushed himself up off of the ground and with one hand he caught Kakashi's kneecap. Using it to push himself into a spin, Naruto twirled in midair with the knee on the same side already seeking out the Kakashi's unprotected torso. The blow, though not overly strong, was enough to knock the man awkwardly to side.

Finally pulling himself up to his feet, Naruto instantly took to the air again to deliver yet another ax-kick. Of course this one was dodged, though not nearly as gracefully as Kakashi would've preferred. Grabbing onto the back of Naruto's jacket, he turned and threw the boy far across the clearing, right into the river.

The sound of rushing earth caught Kakashi's attention and had him reflexively jump high into the air and to the side. He watched as below him a giant snake of earth lunged past where he had been. It was one of Sakura's favorite old ninjutsu he remembered. As expected, the earthy serpent curled around and lunged at him again even as he descended.

He barely touched the ground before hearing, "Katon: Kisou Karyuu no Jutsu!" A sudden wave of heat washed over his shoulders and back as the dragon-shaped fireball roared towards him. Mindful of the serpent, Kakashi dodged to the side, missing the fire by mere inches.

Bouncing backwards to put some distance between him and the two jutsu, Kakashi idly wondered where Naruto had disappeared to.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan!"

_Speak of the devil_, Kakashi thought in exasperation as three elemental serpents bore down upon him. Jumping from side to side, he nimbly dodged the fire and water as they made attempts to crash into him. Turning towards Sakura's Doton jutsu, he had just enough to see that it had disappeared under the earth at some point.

Erupting out of the ground, the snake thrust itself into his abdomen with all the strength of a freight train and knocked him backward. It was only when he heard the rush of water and felt the heat of fire that Kakashi realized that the other two jutsu had rebounded on him. And he couldn't dodge very well suspended in midair unless he—

The two jutsu crashed into him from opposite sides. The fire burned and exploded, pushing him towards the water. The Suiryuudan attempted to crush him into the earth and thus pressed him back into the heart of the flames. Fire and water clashed and the two jutsu extinguished the other in a hot spray of steam that erupted from the epicenter as the body fell to the ground limply.

It didn't take the clearing of the steam to see that the body of Kakashi had been switched for a log.

"You know, Kakashi," Sasuke said casually as he watched Sakura's Doton jutsu crumble to the earth. "If you continue to use that same trick, you'll eventually start becoming predictable."

"And the worst part," Naruto spoke up from where he stood on the river. "is that you've _really_ slacked off in your stealth training, baka-sensei!"

"Hai," Sakura agreed, smirking somewhat broadly in pride. "Even _I_ can sense where you're hiding, Kakashi-sensei."

Dropping from the tree that he had hid himself, Kakashi eyed the trio as they watched him with amused grins. _Okay, this is going to be __**quite **__a bit more difficult than I first thought_.

**

* * *

****Training Ground Seven  
****12:24pm**

If he'd thought that this test would be easy, Naruto would've been terribly wrong. He knew that Kakashi was among the best Jounin in Konohagakure. His taijutsu was nearly flawless, even without his Sharingan. His arsenal of jutsu was incredibly vast and diverse. With very large chakra reserves and a great control over them, Kakashi could devastate all but the truly strongest of opponents with minimal effort. The fact that his sense of smell was just as good as his own only decreased the chances of a sneak attack.

The man had truly earned every bit of his renown. Only a complete fool would underestimate the abilities of such a man.

Yet his opponents were certainly no slouches themselves. With the reunion of the Kaze Kitsune, Kasai Taka, and the Aka Sakura, Team Seven's teamwork seemed to just merge back into conjunction. The power of the Kaze Kitsune, speed of the Kasai Taka, and the strength of the Aka Sakura, when combined, quickly proved to be something to fear for even a man of Kakashi's stature.

In the three-hour time span that their battle had been taking place, each of them gave as good as they received. Kakashi was covered in sweat, mud, a few bruises and cuts, and some wood splinters. His chakra, though still in considerable quantity, had taken a large dip. Sasuke and Naruto were in much the same shape, save for a few burns and missing hair. Even Sakura had several layers of dust coating her clothes with a fine sheen of sweat and mud everywhere else. All of them were exhausted from having battled for so long.

Despite a few of the expected surprises from each member of the team, the fact that it had taken them more than three hours to finally snatch the bells was a true testament to all of them. It showed the level skill that the younger shinobi had gained to be able to forcefully take the bells from their former sensei. It also proved that Kakashi was no slouch in any means to be able to fight them off for as long as he did. Each of them was quite proud of themselves and each other for the little victories they'd achieved during the fighting.

But the way they acquired the bells from Kakashi turned out to be far more humiliating to the man than he'd have thought possible. The reason the test had lasted as long as it did was because the teenagers had been having so much fun beating on the man. It wasn't until their stomachs started rumbling that they had decided that they'd had enough and it was time for lunch. Kakashi had of course objected to them simply walking away during a serious test. Then, much to her surprise, Naruto held up the bells. It had turned out that Naruto had snatched the bells away from Kakashi right from the beginning, when Sakura had thrown him into the man! And Kakashi hadn't even noticed!

Yet there existed one final punishment that needed to be distributed among them.

"_This is fucking ridiculous!_" Sakura screamed out in a righteous fury at her former sensei. "I'm a _Chuunin!_ I don't deserve to be tied to this stupid post _again_, sensei!"

"Ah," Kakashi drawled as he once again had his face buried in his new book. He did not even attempt to hide the amusement in his voice at her fury. "But I distinctly remember saying that the last one here was to be tied to a post. Did I not say that clearly enough, Sakura-san?"

Indeed, Sakura had once again been subject to being tied to the same post as she had in their very first test to become Genin. And despite the fact that she knew a jutsu that could release her from being bound, Kakashi's knots proved to be just as tight as they had been the first time. And, thinking ahead, he had even applied a special seal to prevent Sakura from exerting enough of her unfathomable strength to break loose.

A low, dangerous growl rumbled through her throat for a moment at yet another failed attempt to escape. After a moment of glaring at him, she resolutely looked away while mumbling incoherent threats under her breath. Her mumblings, however, were quite clearly heard by one blonde teammate who was sitting next to her post.

"Oi!" Naruto piped up, sounding and looking very much surprised and even a little hurt. "I resent that, Sakura-chan!"

"Gomen, Naruto," she muttered.

"Naruto," Sasuke spoke up from Sakura's other side. "where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Like what?" Naruto asked, trying to seem confused to the Uchiha's statement.

Frowning at Naruto's feigned confusion, he answered after a moment. "When we were fighting Kakashi, where did you learn that taijutsu? Or did you make that up as well?"

"Oh that?" Naruto asked, grinning broadly. "Well, I guess I kind of may have made it up."

"Kind of?" Sasuke inquired as he quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, some of it Ero-Sannin taught me. But the rest was just touch-and-go. Baka-sensei is the first person I've _really_ tried it out on. I'm still having trouble with the third tier of the Kazeken though."

"Tier?" Sakura asked, quite interested despite her position.

"Yeah!" Even though he was giving away secrets of his taijutsu, Naruto didn't really care. Taijutsu, unlike ninjutsu, was far more easily learned or copied and thus it would've been extremely foolish of him to try to hide it. "The one I used on Baka-sensei was only the second. The third fought high up in the air."

"I get it," Sakura said quickly. "That way you could fight easier on that wind board you made, right?"

"Something like that," Naruto said as he climbed to his feet and stretched. "Well, I'm going. I'm still hungry."

"I need to submit a report to Godaime-sama," Kakashi said curtly before vanishing in a poof of smoke.

Guessing at what time it was, Sasuke mumbled something about checking up on Osamaru as he too started walking away. Naruto glanced at the Uchiha questioningly before altering his course to follow him.

"_OI!_" Sakura yelled indignantly. "AREN'T YOU _FORGETTING_ SOMEONE HERE?!"

**

* * *

****(Author's Note)** I know, I know! I'm _**WAY**_ late for this update. And I hate myself for it! However, things had gotten quite hectic in my work area and don't even me _started_ on my superiors! 

I know that this chapter is ridiculously short when compared to my usual standards. But I really didn't want to draw out the battle. Besides, with how I've been writing the remainder of the chapter, it might've seemed a bit like a let down. But I'm not completely against writing more of the fight. If any of you have questions on pieces of it, just ask and I'll see if I can work in some flashbacks to answer your questions.

Another reason why I wanted to end the fight so quickly was because I want to get started on the Rescue Gaara arc. I know that's a rather weak excuse, but it's the truth. I'm tired of being stuck in limbo over this piece of the story and the fight was only stalling it. Besides, we all know that they eventually got the bells anyway.

However, if you were hoping to catch a deeper glimpse into their individual abilities, you'll have to wait a bit longer. I swear to you all on my reputation as an author that I will be much more thorough in writing the various fight scenes to save Gaara.

And I'm sorry about the lack of any 'new' jutsu (aside from Naruto's Kazeken). I just didn't have the inspiration or see the need to introduce a few more of their ninjutsu. That's partly why I relied on FictionReader98's jutsu for this chapter.

One last thing before I go. I _**HIGHLY**_ recommend you all go and look at the most recent picture I've posted on my homepage from dannex009 (near the bottom). It is simply _incredible!_ I know some of the details in aren't exactly in line with the story, but that was the artist's decision and not mine. Nevertheless, I know you all will greatly approve of it.

_Aka Sakura_—Bloody Cherry Blossom (also known as: the Red Cherry Blossom)  
_Babaa_—old woman, _derogative term: hag  
Junshu_—purebred, thoroughbred  
_Kasai Taka_—Fire Hawk  
_Kaze Kitsune_—Wind Fox  
_Konnichiwa_—Hello  
_Kusottare_—vulgar epithet, shithead, bastard  
_Kutabacchimae_—Drop dead, you bastard!, fuck you! (AN: This one is my personal favorite)  
_Ohayo gozaimasu_—Good morning  
_Reiketsukan_—cold-blooded person, heartless, coldhearted person

**Fuuton: Kunai Soufuu Atsu**--_Wind Release: Kunai Blast Pressure_//Modeled after Yukie/Gale's Kaze Ken Soufuu Atsu, and created using Kaze Kiwa as a base. Naruto forms the Kaze Kiwa standard seals – one handed – then adds a fifth one, uniquely designed for this attack: the Kitsune. Naruto forms a mini Kaze Kiwa around the kunai itself, and then makes it recoil on itself to launch it, similar to a spring. Because of this, Naruto has to sacrifice some of the Kaze Kiwa's power, thus making the total damage done only about 70 percent of the Kaze Kiwa. In appearance, it looks very similar to the Kaze Ken Soufuu Atsu, with the very front of it the drill of the Kaze Kiwa, thus making the victim feel like they were hit with a lesser Kaze Kiwa, as opposed to a blast of air. (Mid C-Class Ninjutsu) (Naruto) (Created by FictionReader98)

**Doton: Daichi Kobura no Jutsu **(updated)--_Earth Release: Ground Cobra_//A jutsu similar to that of the Suiryuudan. How it differs is the fact that the user has far more control over the actions of the Daichi Kobura, than one does with Suiryuudan. Thus, one is able to move the Daichi Kobura in any direction, movement, patterns the user desires, such as having it constrict an obstacle or opponent. The user could even pour more chakra into the jutsu to 'harden' and improve its endurance. This, however, means that in order for the Daichi Kobura to do all this, the user _must_ constantly supply it with chakra, in addition to the amount used to create it in the first place. Because of this, plus the focus required, this means that the user has to remain stationary and focused, leaving the user quite vulnerable. For if the user moves and/or loses concentration, the jutsu will break apart. One could potentially keep the Daichi Kobura going for long periods of time... _if _they have the chakra reserves to maintain it. (Mid B-Class Ninjutsu) (Sakura) (Created by FictionReader98)

**Katon: Kisou Karyuu**--_Fire Release: Homing Fire Dragon//_One of Sasuke's fastest attack ninjutsu. Taking the form of a dragon made of fire, the Kisou Karyuu is designed to lock on to an opponent's chakra signature and seek it out until it hits, causing significant damage if it manages to hit. Even if it fails, it provides an ample distraction for Sasuke to attack using another means. The Kisou Karyuu can last about thirty seconds before it burns itself out. (Low B-Class Ninjutsu) (Sasuke) (Created by FictionReader98)

**Kazeken**_—Wind Fist_//A taijutsu style that was created by Naruto after comparing multiple others together with his own natural style. It consists of three tiers; Earth, Jump, and Flight.

The Earth Tier is based on speed, evasion, and counterattacks. The user will attempt to attack from any angle while dodging their opponent's attacks. This tier is best meant for beginners (academy students, Genin). It teaches them to always look for an alternate means to bring down their opponent. (D-Class Taijutsu)

The Jump Tier is more focused on power and surprise attacks, balance and counterbalances. The user spends more time in the air than the ground, using gravity to deliver much stronger kicks and punches than one could generally perform. Best used by Chuunin or Jounin. (C-Class Taijutsu)

The Flight Tier is by far the most dangerous and deadly. It focuses entirely on balance and one's center of gravity to fight their enemy. The Flight Tier can only be used while the combatants are suspended in the air (regardless of circumstances). This tier can only be used by someone of great skill in taijutsu, usually Jounin and ANBU. (B-Class Taijutsu)


	4. Battle in the Desert

**This chapter dedication is sent out to Son Kenshin. Thank you greatly for beta-reading this chapter! I look forward to the next chapter of your own story as well.**

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 4: Battle in the Desert_

**Hokage Monument, Konohagakure  
2:53pm**

Resting comfortably on top of the Yondaime Hokage's stone face, Naruto stared out over to the village. But his gaze was unfocused; he was far too busy reflecting everything he had learned since his arrival earlier.

A lot of things had taken place in the village in the two and a half years that he was gone. And he was still having trouble adjusting to what he considered the _biggest_ of all the surprises. Uchiha Sasuke had been _cloned_ by Orochimaru in yet another attempt to gain the Sharingan?!

Another surprise that went along with that revelation was of Orochimaru's supposed death. Apparently he had died in the battle with Sasuke and his treacherous apprentice. However, Naruto was not sure he believed those rumors. Based on what Jiraiya had once told him of the man, Naruto was more willing to believe that the snake had somehow managed to survive. After all, Orochimaru was driven by his lust for power over all things. Regardless of his wild ambitions, the man was very much a genius and a competent one at that. Would he _really_ allow himself to just die like that?

Thankfully though, in Naruto's opinion, none of the other clones of the young Uchiha had survived the destruction of Orochimaru's research facility. One Uchiha Sasuke was enough. Now that there were seemingly two of him would most certainly make for an interesting future. Naruto could only hope that the clone, Osamaru, did not turn out like his 'father' in terms of personality.

'_What kind of a name is Osamaru anyway?_' Naruto wondered to himself. '_an Uchiha named 'to be at peace'? With who? Himself? I hope so. I don't think Konoha could survive another emo-Uchiha! …or at least __**I**__ wouldn't._'

As it stood, things didn't start out too well for Naruto and the newest Uchiha. Naruto had indeed followed Sasuke to find out who this 'Osamaru' person was. Of course, he had almost gone ballistic when he saw it was a baby. His first words to Sasuke after seeing Osamaru were, '_I THOUGHT __**SAKURA**__ WAS YOUR __**GIRLFRIEND!**__ ARE YOU TWO-TIMING SAKURA-CHAN?!_"

In response, as Sasuke had been turning to face him and holding the baby, Osamaru had a sudden fit. The little babe started yelling out in anger and dislike at the volume of Naruto's voice. Then as Sasuke tried to calm the boy down and Naruto crouched close to get a better look at the infant, Osamaru had felt the sudden need to throw up his lunch…all over Naruto's face.

And the sight of Naruto's grossed out expression, covered in his own vomit, caused the babe Uchiha to start giggling. The worst part was Sasuke's sneer, which he was sure was going to remain in place for the next ten years of their lives. Oh the humiliation!

After cleaning himself _thoroughly_ of the slime and stink, Naruto retreated to his most favorite thought-spot in Konoha to brood. Lying peacefully beside him was his Kazeodori, the Seigi katana, and a battered old scroll titled Uzumaki Family Jutsus—Scroll 7.

These three items were unquestionably among his most precious of personal possessions. An invention to ride the winds, unlike anything ever created in the last three hundred years of history; a mysterious weapon that for whatever reason had chosen him as its new wielder; and a scroll containing his newest and most secret of jutsu he'd thus far created.

Drawing himself out of his thoughts, Naruto looked down into the village that he'd been long absent from. If Naruto was like most people, what he'd see as he gazed out over his home village was a vast array of buildings and faceless crowds of people. A lot of people in his position would've looked higher and farther away, seeing the large walls that surrounded the heart of the Konohagakure. Walls that some might've seen as prison walls, meant to keep them in with the people and places that they'd yearned to escape from. Those people would therefore stare yearningly towards the horizon, desiring to run out towards the sunset, keep going, and never to return.

What Naruto saw as he gazed down into the village was not buildings and roads or faceless people who sought to torment him. Though he admittedly didn't possess the eyesight, in his mind's eye he did not see crowds and nameless buildings; he saw individuals and their homes. He saw children running and playing, their folks watching over them, citizens going about their business in their daily struggle to live a better life. Whether they knew it or not, all of them were counting on him and his teammates, friends, and associates to protect them. And so they would.

He only wished that they'd stop glaring or staring at him already. Granted, the most recent stares he was attracting were significantly different than what they had been from prior his departure. But the core feelings behind them remained the same: dislike, indifference, and disgust with a hint of hate.

Among the older populace, their icy glares had dwindled somewhat. Apparently the long absence from the village had lessened their anger surprisingly. Yet his stunt upon returning had earned him glares of resentment and annoyance. They seemed to now lookdown upon him due to his clear recklessness of plummeting several thousands of meters out of the skies. They felt that such actions were only those being to a brat who was now trying to become the center of attention once again. And, to a degree, they were right.

Yet the younger generations who didn't know of the Kyuubi inside him were a vast mixture. Most stared at him with open awe that he could've done such a foolish and scary, yet somehow fascinating feat. Others still stared at him with fear or contempt, still mirroring their parents or friends either out of habit or genuine feelings. Perhaps thinking that he would suddenly snap and attack them, and that little stunt earlier only reinforced their beliefs that he was a fearless monster of some kind.

But the most surprising and _unnerving_ of all were the ones he could feel from certain members of the female residence. Some would stare at him with an expression akin to hero-worship and (what he feared the most) lust. It was certainly a novel experience for Naruto to walk down the street and hear faint giggling coming from a group of passing or approaching girls. Three years ago these same girls would've sooner admitted to having a crush on the brash, impulsive, and smelly Inuzuka Kiba than be seen within ten meters of Uzumaki Naruto.

The hypocritical irony of the situation was not lost to Naruto. And he could only hope that not all girls were like that.

_No_, he sternly reminded himself. _Hinata-hime isn't like that, nor is Sakura-chan…well, not __**anymore**_.

Hinata, she was his first and the most dearest of his friends. Naruto wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point in the past her happiness had begun to mean much more to him than it used to. Back when they were in the academy, Naruto always went out of his way to discreetly encourage her. He _never_ once pulled a prank on her, and had even once saved her from unintentionally falling into a few of his preplanned ones.

By the time that they had become genin, they could tentatively have called each other best friends. After that, their time together had dwindled to being near nonexistent. The few times that Naruto did bump into her though, she had been so shy around him that they couldn't hold a conversation for very long.

Then there came one of his most cherished of memories: their accidental kiss. At the time, it had _truly_ been an accident that it even occurred. But he had enjoyed those few seconds of pure heaven immensely. Yet to preserve his sanity and her modesty, he immediately and vehemently denied Sasuke and Sakura's accusations that he did enjoy it. He knew that while _they_ would only tease him about it, if her clan (and _especially_ Neji) had learned about it, he would be in a world of pain. Though he dearly wanted to repeat the experience when he left the village, Naruto had chosen to just kiss her cheek. It was still a blissful experience, but it just wasn't the same.

Then he'd seen her again after two long years of separation. In his honest opinion, Hinata had _always_ been a beautiful person to him. She was kind, understanding, and loyal. A bit shy due to her lack of confidence, but confidence came with time and patience. When he saw again after two years, her inward beauty had finally begun to surface, making her seem even more angelic than ever before.

Unfortunately for them, they weren't given any time to properly reacquaint themselves before they were suddenly attacked by the Iwa-nin. Even to this day, Naruto didn't truly remember the outcome of that fight. Only that he'd seen his dear friend get badly injured and his mind was suddenly engulfed in a searing ocean of hate and bloodlust for the men who'd hurt her.

Naruto had hoped that when he'd finally returned home that things could've continued to progress as they were. In fact, Naruto had been _secretly_ planning to ask her out on a tentative date for the past _month_ alone. But it would seem that in his absence from Konoha, her standing in the Hyuuga had changed.

As he sat there now, contemplating their situation, he inexplicably began trying to understand how her world worked. If he was honest with himself, he had never really learned just how a clan operates. To him, a clan was just a large group of families that shared the same name. But one of the few facts he did know was that generally clans each had their own council who worked in ways similar to the village council.

Yet how could they have the authority to curse Hinata like they did? The concept of arranged marriages was not unknown to Naruto. But he had always felt that it was the family who arranged them, not a council… Did it work the same way because she was part of a clan? If so, with her father as the clan leader, it would be _he_ who had to give the final approval, right?

At some base level _deep_ within his personality, Naruto had always looked up Hinata's father with the same respect that he held for the Sandaime and Yondaime Hokages. Only a _saint_ would be able to put up with the political mumbo-jumbo that seemed to plaque councils on a daily basis. Thus Naruto's respect for the man had been decidedly shaken due to his uncertainty of if he had in fact allowed Hinata to be set up with an arranged marriage. And to a young man who seemed like a real creep nonetheless!

How long had this arrangement been in place? What did Hinata think about it? Did she even _know_ about it? What would become of _their_ friendship if she was indeed forced to marry? Would Hinata submit to the arrangement, even if she didn't want to be married to that guy, Himochi? But most important of all, what would he—Naruto—do about all this?

Naruto was at his wit's end to answer that last question. He didn't want to let his Hinata-hime go that easily, despite whatever may have become of them in the future. But, in the end, he decided that he would to submit to one thing. He would have to accept the marriage if it meant that Hinata would be happy. After all, her happiness meant everything to him.

_Speaking of Hinata-hime_, Naruto thought, suddenly remembering something. _I still need to get my old jutsu scrolls back from her. Well, there's no time like the present!_

With a small grin, he quickly strapped the Seigi and scroll of his back and waist respectively. Picking up the Kazeodori, he peeked down the cliff to get a quick estimate of the fall. Even as he stood there, he could already feel his adrenaline levels starting to rise. No matter how many times he did this, it brought a slight amount of fear to him. But, like all times prior, he resolutely shoved the fear aside and took the dive.

_Literally_.

With a shout of pure delight at the exhilaration, Naruto allowed himself to drop like a stone for a short while. Then in a burst of Fuuton chakra from the Kazeodori attached to his feet, Naruto shot through the air high above the village, rocketing towards the Hyuuga estate.

**

* * *

Council Chambers, Sunagakure  
5:24pm**

From his position, Gaara listened quietly as the councilmen and women debated. It was yet another meeting for them to discuss the current welfare of their desert village. Not that Gaara really minded; it was actually refreshing to hear positive things about the village that had once feared and discreetly hated him all his young life.

In the past two years, things had really begun to look up for Sunagakure. Due to their recent alliance with Konoha, they had begun to acquire more missions from high paying clients. As such, along with a few training tips from Konoha, their shinobi forces were receiving more experience and better training than they had in the past ten years alone. Alas, the Chuunin Exam that was scheduled to take place in a week promised to be an interesting one for them since their selected genin teams were among their best.

"There's been a bad rumor going around recently…" said a quiet man named Yuura, former captain of the Suna ANBU, after the council elder had spoken his piece.

"What kind of rumor?" Gaara's old sensei, Baki, asked as the rest of the council turned their attention to the soft-spoken captain.

Yuura had a face of resolute seriousness. Being a former ANBU captain certainly did have its quirks, as he was often privileged to information that was usually reserved to the much higher-ranked shinobi and village leaders. Thus it was no surprise that he knew some news that the rest of the council hadn't heard yet.

"The information's from Sannin no Jiraiya," Yuura said, eyeing each of the council members, no doubt calculating what their respective responses would be. "Have you heard of the organization called the 'Akatsuki'?"

Not a word was spoken in the room for a moment, a moment with which a familiar but subtle amount of killing intent rose up. Even after six months, the incredible _rage_ that Gaara had felt after hearing that someone in that organization may have raped his dear older sister was still very raw and very, _very_ much alive. The only thing that prevented him from hunting down the Akatsuki members _personally_ was the lack of information on their current whereabouts.

"He believes that they may finally be making a serious move this time…very soon," Yuura continued slowly, respectfully. "I have already taken the opportunity to post guards along the village outskirts."

"Tell me more, Yuura-san," Gaara commanded, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

**

* * *

Outside Sunagakure  
7:43pm**

A pair of figures slowly approached the large canyon. They were a very odd pair, even among the vast variety that the term 'odd' could be used for. One was tall and thin, quite obviously young and arrogant but undeniably strong in his own regard. He was forced to walk at a slow pace due to his partner's inability to move very quickly. The second was apparently short but extremely bulky. However, despite the bulk of his figure, he seemed to almost slither across the desert sands beneath him.

But what made the pair especially odd was their clothing attire. Both wore a large black cloak with red cloud designs covering various locations of their uniform as well as a pair of strange hats that hid most of their faces. The fact that they willingly chose to wear black in a desert of all places was what made them especially easy to spot, even in the dying sunlight.

As they approached the canyon crevice, one of the few entrances to the hidden village beyond, the tall one, Deidera, broke the silence between them. He could clearly see in the distance the shadows and silhouettes of almost three dozen shinobi lining the hidden pathways along the canyon's entrance. "It would seem that someone leaked information about us."

"Yes…" Sasori quietly agreed, idly wondering who it would be he'd kill once they returned. "But we will continue. It is our mission."

"Yeah, yeah," Deidera absentmindedly agreed.

"Remember," Sasori continued. "The leader will not tolerate another scene like the last one."

He needn't have clarified which one he was referring to. When it had been discovered that Kakuzu and Hidan had disobeyed his direct order, their leader had gone off to hunt them down personally. The only thing they knew about what had happened afterwards was only from rumors that flying through the villages.

As far as they could tell, the rebellious pair had been 'spared' even more gruesome deaths had their leader caught up to them first. And his fury at the pair had put the man into a foul mood for the next month, making even the hardiest of the elite members edgy when near him.

"Don't worry," Deidera muttered, trying to pretend that he wasn't already fearing for his life. "I won't kill the container."

As they neared the canyon crevice, they picked up the distinct scent of blood. A _lot_ of blood. It didn't take them by surprise to see that all but one shinobi had been brutally slain. That very shinobi was standing amid the corpses in the center of the canyon entrance with an ever-serious expression on his face.

"Well done," Sasori said instantly, pleased that his puppet had obeyed his long-distance commands. "…You remembered me?"

"Hai, Sasori-sama!" Yuura said crisply, clearly reporting to his beloved master.

"If you've forgotten," Deidera said, ignoring yet another of Sasori's human puppets. "I may have to use my jutsu—"

But Sasori just ignored his usually-arrogant companion. "It is nice to have you once again my faithful servant," he continued speaking to his underling. It was one of his most favorite moments; when a person, regardless of circumstances, treated him as much like the god that Pein masqueraded himself as. "I have work for you, servant."

"Alright then," Deidera said, irritated at his partner's sudden attitude. He _hated_ being ignored like that! Using the mouth in his left palm, he took a large bite out of the clay in the satchel that he always carried with him and quickly molded it into the shape of a bird. "Here we go."

He tossed the fist-sized clay bird to the ground several meters ahead of himself. Then he decided to poke fun at his partner by saying, "Sasori, you and your husband should watch this…"

With a burst of smoke, the small bird become a massive eagle-like creature, more than large enough to carry three people on it's back. Jumping easily onto it, Deidera threw his hat aside. By this point, the sun had set and thus he no longer saw the need to wear it.

With an arrogant grin, he looked back to his partner and said, "How is it, pretty artistic modeling, yeah?"

"I can't wait to see it," Sasori said, knowing that the coming fireworks would indeed be quite an impressive sight.

**

* * *

Kazekage Tower**

Gaara was silently seething in his Kazekage seat, though it would be near-impossible to guess based on his facial expression. If there was one thing that Gaara had grown to be proud of in recent years, it was his ability to maintain an unwavering blank expression. It not only made it difficult to judge in battle, but it aided him while…_dealing_ with certain councilors.

Plus it had also recently started having an unforeseen side-effect. The hordes of girls of Sunagakure just loved it how he could seem to remain so calm and immovable under stressful situations. That was, among other things, that had started attracting him a quickly growing fan-club. Of course, being the youngest Kazekage in the history of Suna's existence didn't hurt much either.

And now, he was using every bit of his control to maintain his usual calm exterior demeanor.

Though there was no real proof of it, Gaara was convinced. It was someone apart of the Akatsuki that had attacked and raped Temari. She had stated that she had sensed the approach of a second source of youki and she was quite sure it was a Jinchuuriki, though she didn't know which. When she awoke, the two Akatsuki agents that she'd stumbled across had been slain, the Jinchuuriki was long gone, and she was burning up with what she later learned was youki.

Then her story became even more confusing. She claimed to have passed out shortly after waking up. When she awoke next, she was in the Konoha Hospital. The Godaime Hokage reported that she had been found lying in front of the village gates early the next morning and there was no trace of anyone else within the immediate vicinity.

How could Temari have reached Konoha so quickly? The answer seemed painfully obvious to Gaara, when combined with a rumor one of his spies told him a few months ago. A rumor that said there was a mysterious Jinchuuriki who was also a member of the Akatsuki. Of course the idea seemed utterly ridiculous, given the organization's goal of capturing the Bijuu. Despite that, the rumor did seem to hold some truth being that only a Jinchuuriki could truly defeat another, or at least in Gaara's opinion.

Yet he still had his own suspicions that the rumor was true. In his obsession with trying to find the man who had defiled his sister, Gaara had even constructed a tentative timeline to what had happened that fateful night. If his suspicions were correct, the Jinchuuriki had no doubt learned of his counterparts' disobedience and rushed after them when they went after the Iwagakure Jinchuuriki. Upon disposing of them because of their disobedience, the man must've taken notice of Temari at some point and decided to…have some fun with her. Yet he must've decided that he had used too much time in reporting back to his organization and left shortly afterward. Then perhaps he started to feel guilty about just leaving her out in the desert and injured, so he returned and took her to Konoha for whatever reason.

Gaara was not someone who holds a grudge very easily or for very long. After Naruto had 'rehabilitated' him, Gaara quickly learned to forgive people for their mistakes and to give them second chances to redeem themselves. It was the least he could do, especially since the people of Sunagakure had essentially done the same for him upon his return. However, there were limits to even Gaara's forgiveness.

Thus when he learned of a man raping his sister, Gaara had spent nearly an entire week out in the wastelands of the desert venting his wrath. In the desert, family was considered the dearest possession of any person's life, a lesson that Gaara had unfortunately learned the hard way. That was why he had redoubled his already strenuous training regime. Many things in life come and go, like the once a year rains of Wind Country. But a family was expected to remain utterly loyal to one another through thick and thin. In times long past, a family's loyalty had often resulted in that family's survival out here in the unforgiving and uncompromising sand dunes. He did not want anything else bad happening to his family and village.

Gaara had made a vow then. He would find the man who deflowered his sister and show him a world of unimaginable pain. If the bastard somehow managed to live through it once he was finished, Gaara would give the man his blessings...since only an _immortal_ would be to survive.

During his silent contemplations, he had at some point turned his gaze out to look upon his village. It was at this point, in the waning sunlight, that he spotted something high up in the sky. It was a large bird that was slowly circling the whole of Sunagakure. The sheer size of it was quite noticeable despite the altitude it flew at. There was also the fact that he'd never seen a bird of that kind in Wind Country ever before immediately informed Gaara of the obvious.

An intruder had entered his village!

Immediately, he tore out of his casual Kazekage uniform, preparing for the worst.

* * *

Deidera watched in fascination as his three small pieces of art flashed into magnificent displays. The three camel-spider sized and shaped bombs he'd sent down upon the unsuspecting guards just moments ago detonated in fiery explosions, ending the lives of the guards immediately. 

Bouncing down lightly from his bird to the top of the Kazekage Tower, he smirked in satisfaction at his accomplishment. _Infiltration successful_… or so he thought. But the very next instant, he was suddenly bathed in a sea of murderous desire. If felt almost as though he was standing before a colossal beast of _unfathomed_ power and hatred.

It was instinct alone that saved Deidera from an instant and gruesome death. He leapt back as far and high as he could, back towards his bird. Where he had stood mere seconds before was suddenly crushed by a wave of unforgiving sand. Looking up quickly, he spotted his red-haired target: Sabaku no Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage and Jinchuuriki of the Bijuu no Ichibi known as Shukaku.

The cold stare that Gaara was sending up towards him made absolute zero seem like a warm summer's day. Without a word, Gaara willed a column of sand to up rush up after his retreating victim. But not before jumping upon a section of it himself.

Seeing the clear intention of the enraged Kazekage, Deidera flew ever higher into the air as his hands feasted on sizeable amounts of his clay. However, the speed of Gaara's sand proved to be far greater than Deidera believed. Within moments, a large arm-like appendage rushed up to him and all but threw him off his bird.

Narrowly evading the attack, Deidera smirked arrogantly. "It would seem my sneaking inside didn't work…Oh well, at least I drew you out."

Rising up to the same altitude as the Akatsuki agent, Gaara's glare had not changed in the least. Without a said spoken, the young Kazekage raised both his arms as he summoned a large part of his chakra supply. Behind him, five cubic-kilometers of sand erupted out of the desert canyon and formed into four monstrously large appendages similar to the first one.

"Geographical advantage, yeah?" Deidera muttered to himself. "This should be fun."

Immediately Gaara's sand attacked with the clear intent of capturing and mutilating or torturing the man. Throwing his bird into a series of loops and dodges, Deidera tossed a trio of his bird-bombs towards the young Kage. The sand quickly went to counter them, and caused them to explode as soon as they impacted it.

_Some kind of explosive_, Gaara realized. _A homing type as well apparently_. Homing jutsu were among the most annoying and tedious of jutsu that existed in the shinobi world. And they were among the kind that Gaara disliked the most.

Seeing that his usual bird-bombs were insufficient, Deidera quickly molded the next batch slightly differently. He made them much more streamlined and narrow, thus far more aerodynamic.

And indeed they were once he activated them. They easily dashed around the sandy weapons and headed straight for the seemingly unprotected Gaara. But as they neared him, his floating island of sand quickly began wrapping itself up around him in a clear attempt to block the birds. However Deidera had packed much more explosive chakra into those birds that he usually did. That was why when he exploded them prematurely of reaching Gaara, the attack was still very much a threat to him.

Using the distraction to weave out of the encircling sand, Deidera had his bird fly up ever higher into the air. Looking back at the results of his handy work, he was quite dismayed to see that his attack had failed. Gaara had completely surrounded himself in a protective cocoon with a small eye-like object floating nearby, watching him unblinkingly.

However, Deidera's moment of annoyance cost him severely. It gave the sand that he had fled from enough time to group. It erupted up around and behind him, quickly forming a larger version of the same shell that now surrounded his target. Deidera noticed this almost too late to react.

Launching himself instantly off his bird, he jumped straight for the fast-closing openings in the sand trap. He _just_ managed to squeeze through the structure. However a considerable amount of the clingy sand suddenly dashed up to him from the side and encased his arm. Gaara had seen the opportunity and instantly took it.

With practiced ease and an uncharacteristic (albeit small) sneer of achievement on Gaara's face, the sand utterly _crushed_ the man's arm to an unrecognizable mass of bloody flesh and splintered bones.

To Deidera's credit, he didn't cry out in pain like a vast portion of Gaara's past victims had. He somehow found the strength of will to ignore the pain. Despite having his arm crushed, he managed to swallow a small portion of the sand, hurriedly molded some of his most explosive clay into it, and returned it.

With his other hand, he spat out another bird. As what remained of his left arm was torn off his body, the bird formed into a perfect replica of the one he'd been forced to abandon and he dropped onto it unsteadily.

Despite the loss of his arm, Deidera wasn't too overly concerned. This was actually the third time he'd lost one since he'd become a shinobi. As such, it was very easy matter for him to…acquire a replacement. No, he instead focused on the battle at hand while chuckling quietly. "Oh-ho, you're good…_very_ good."

Reaching into his satchel again, he encountered a small problem. He was nearly out of his exploding clay. That would mean that his next moves would have to be very carefully thought out if he intended to win.

Looking back at the small ball of floating sand, he noticed a portion of the sand was missing. In fact, the sand that had crushed his arm was even now flying back towards the small sphere. The Akatsuki agent restrained a grin as an idea hit him.

_I see_…he realized. _The sand he used to crush my hand and the sand he uses to protect himself are…different from the rest. That sand is __**far**__ faster and stronger than what he had summoned from the environment. It must be __**saturated**__ in his chakra, meaning that he carries a set amount with him at all times. And that's where he gets the reputation for his 'ultimate defense.' I can __**use**__ that!_

During his thoughts, he had been busy molding the remainder of his clay into a single homing pigeon. As the mouth in his palm spat out the new bomb, a portion of his restrained grin made its appearance on his face. Sure, all he had left was his special Number 18 bomb and the small bird he just made, but he knew his victory was already assured.

* * *

Down below on the streets of Sunagakure, Baki and Kankurou were staring up at the battle taking place so far above them. They had already dispersed the shinobi to protect the civilians from any explosions or debris that may fall to the ground. 

Kankurou, like most of Sunagakure, had sensed the moment the battle began. Though he had changed greatly over the past few years in some regards, the massive amount of killing desire that flared up from the Kazekage Tower had reminded everyone that their leader was still the container of the Shukaku.

But upon seeing the black robes of the man he was fighting, Kankurou silently wished he could join in the battle. He, too, had been furious when he learned of the Temari being raped. And like his younger brother, Kankurou had thrown himself into training for the same reasons as well. When Gaara had shared his suspicions on who had raped their sister, Kankurou had privately agreed with his logic. If they'd had any leads, Kankurou would've been the first to volunteer to accompany Gaara on his quest for vengeance.

Now after several months of strained patience, laborious training, fruitless spying missions, and seething rage, one of the Akatsuki members had the _nerve_ to waltz right into their village and he couldn't join his brother in battle! Why? None of his puppets could _fly_.

"Kankurou?" Baki said, snapping the teenager from his thoughts.

"What is it?" he was reluctant to look away from the battle, but he did out of respect for his former sensei.

"Consider the possibility of Gaara going crazy again," the older Jounin said quietly, drawing a fast scowl from Kankurou. "…and the scenario of him releasing the Shukaku again…"

If Kankurou had been asked that question a few years ago, he'd have immediately imagined the worst possible scenario. A scenario that was very much similar to the one that Baki was currently asking him. However, Kankurou was one of the very few people to have been privileged with Gaara sharing one of his newest and deepest of desires.

Gaara had told him shortly after they had returned to Suna after the mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. Gaara told him that he no longer desired to live for himself, to love only himself. After battling against a fellow Jinchuuriki, his eyes had been opened to a whole new realm of beliefs. Beliefs that he may have at one time come to embrace much earlier had certain situations not occurred.

Gaara had seen how ferociously Uzumaki Naruto had fought after he realized that his people who were very dear to his heart were in danger. He'd experienced firsthand the sheer power Naruto had summoned in order to protect his home from certain destruction by the Ichibi. He'd watched in unsurpassed awe when Naruto had fought against his demon's power to regain control of his body. And finally he'd seen the immeasurable resilience and determination of the blonde when he fought to retrieve his teammate. Even though it had been clear that the two soon began to fight to see who the stronger shinobi was, the rivalry between them had been incredibly fierce.

And Gaara wanted to become like that. He wanted to become a person who others would call upon for protection, to share their emotions, and to be respected by everyone. No longer feared as the uncontrollable weapon he had been. He wanted people to look up to him and see that through hard work and perseverance, they too could become strong like him, like Naruto.

That was why Gaara aspired to and soon became the Godaime Kazekage.

"That _won't_ happen," Kankurou said to Baki with such conviction that his sensei looked at him with a slight amount of curiosity. "Gaara won't allow any harm to come to his village." Turning back to the fighters who had taken a brief moment to regain their breaths and plot their strategies, he yelled out as loud as he could, "_Do your best Kazekage-sama!_"

It was a cheer that was soon mirrored by everyone else in the village.

* * *

From where he was hiding, a small smile pulled at Gaara's lips as he heard the cheer of his civilians. The cheer filled him with pride and determination. He would win this battle and find out where the Akatsuki had been hiding. And he'd do it not only to sate his bloodlust for the rapist among them, but he's do it to ensure that that organization would never again threaten a civilian or citizen of his village. 

Now that most of his immediate fury had been spent during the course of the fight, he could once again start to think clearly. He no longer intended to end this man's existence. No, he would be much better used to interrogate and discover what he knew of the Akatsuki's plans.

However, he already knew that the interrogation would be very long and most likely fruitless. Generally an S-Class nuke-nin from any village would be able to withstand and adapt to any situation almost instantly. That meant it could be months or even years before they learned anything of value from the man. And that was only if he didn't manage to escape at some point.

But he couldn't allow the man to escape this battle without learning something more. Yet he knew it was more likely that he'd be somehow defeated and captured. Then the man would…!

A devious smirk, reminiscent of all the times he'd given into his demon's whispers and urges in the past, appeared on his face as an idea came to life inside his mind. It would be risky, no doubt. _But if it __**worked**__…_

* * *

Setting the new bird-bomb aside, Deidera dug into his robe and extracted his _special_ Number 18 bomb. He threw it off to the side, enlarging it as he did. Yelling out to his target, he said, "That's it! I'm sick of you and that blank face! I'm destroying this worthless town!" 

The three-meter tall bomb dropped like a rock towards the unprotected village below. Down on the streets, shinobi and civilian alike in vain attempted to run for safety. As the bomb fell, Gaara in desperation called upon a fair amount of the Ichibi's youki. Just when the large bomb was several dozen meters above the village, it detonated and unleashed an explosion that could've destroyed over half of the village.

But when the fiery display died down, all of the sand that Gaara had previously used in his attempt to capture Deidera was floating protectively above the village. It had formed a sort of very large and very thick shield that effectively redirected the brunt of the explosion skyward.

From where he still stood perched on his bird, Deidera could see Gaara's shadowy form inside his cocoon panting heavily from exertion apparently. Unseen by Gaara, his last remaining homing bird was gently flying up towards the hole in his shield. Restraining himself, he waited until it had practically flown into the hole (when Gaara finally noticed it) to detonate it.

The smaller but no less deadly explosion soon cleared, revealing an unmarked cocoon surface. _Indeed, that special sand is very fast…lucky me_. He could very much sense that the little bit of clay he'd slipped into that very same sand was currently residing within that shell. That meant he could finally attack the young Kage directly.

Deidera grinned at his victory as that remaining clay exploded within that shell, contorting the shape for moment as a low rumble sounded from the inside. A moment after the rumbling died down, the collected sand that the Kazekage had summoned began to fall limply back to the earth below. All the Suna citizens who'd been watching from below yelled out in shock or disbelief at watching their young leader be defeated.

As the cocoon of sand began to disintegrate around the boy, Deidera dove forward and easily caught the unconscious body as he thought to himself. _You truly are a typical Kage, to use the last of your strength to protect your village. You would've won had you just let the Number 18 fall on them._

The bird he flew on wrapped up the sandy and cracked body of the defeated Kazekage by using some of its tail feathers. Swooping around, Deidera let out a sigh of relief now that his mission was complete.

_Though not killing him turned out to be __**much **__more difficult than I'd originally thought_, he mused to himself as he headed back to where his partner awaited his return.

* * *

As the bomb-wielding Akatsuki agent flew away with his perceived victory, a silent pair of light teal eyes watched from the shadows before rapidly pursuing him.

**

* * *

(Author's Note)** Whew, now that was a rush! And a _very_ fulfilling one at that! Also, I know that it's very close to canon. But what can I say? There really wasn't much that I could change. Well…I did make a few discreet changes. I wonder how many of you will figure out just had happened here. Though, if I'm correct, most of you probably already know just occurred.

And in case some of you are wondering, Naruto's thoughts on the Hyuuga clan and their politics are also my own to a certain degree.

One more thing, don't expect the next chapter to come out any time soon. I was just lucky to be able to punch out these past two so quickly after one another.

5 kilometers--3.105 miles


	5. Before the Storm

**Author's Note: This chapter dedication goes out to Roses of Sharon. I know I've said it before, but thank you _SO MUCH_ for your help!**

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 5: Before the Storm_

**Sunagakure  
8:15pm (immediately after the battle)**

Kankurou stared in slight surprise and mounting horror as the man who had just defeated his brother flew away with his body. Snapping out of his momentary disbelief, he immediately started sprinting after the retreating figure.

"Kankurou, wait!" Baki yelled after him, an order clear in his voice. "They were strong enough to defeat _Gaara!_ You won't be able to do anything _by_ _yourself!_"

"So you plan to just abandon Gaara?!" Kankurou snapped back venomously.

"Don't say that," Baki replied, his entire being radiating grim resolution. After a moment's hesitation, he finally said, "Fine! Just follow them, but don't take any action! We'll track them to their base and mount an attack!"

"Alright!" Kankurou grunted, having little to no desire to obey the first half of the command. "…If I can!"

Resuming his chase, Kankurou put all other thoughts to the back of his mind as he focused solely upon is objective. It was real this time, he could tell. Something…big was starting now. That feeling of unease only increased his desire to rescue his little brother all the more.

Because he was a master puppeteer, Kankurou was also formidably skilled in taijutsu. That was the risk of all puppeteers. Those who gradually grew to depend upon their puppets to do all their fighting tended to slack off on their own individual skills. But as the son of the former Yondaime Kazekage, Kankurou had been raised to never slack off on such skills.

Thus, due to his exceptionally fit body, he was able to keep the retreating Akatsuki member in sight. The blonde man was flying towards the canyon crevice. That got him thinking as he neared the massive but narrow crack. If he had come through the front entrance, why hadn't any of the shinobi who were stationed there warned anoyone? The most logical explanation was that he had killed them. But how could any man be able to take several dozen Jounin and ANBU-class shinobi on by himself? Surely at least one of them could've gotten away long enough to warn the village...right?

But as he came upon the scene, his fears were confirmed. Every single shinobi and kunoichi were dead, lying in puddles of their own blood. As he briefly looked over the scene something became clear to him. It was obvious that this massacre wasn't done by the man who had just fought Gaara. No, a more likely explanation was that the man had a partner who had a far more stealthy jutsu style...or that Suna had been betrayed by someone. Someone exceptionally strong.

Dashing past the carnage, he sprinted in the direction he had seen the man disappearing to. But just as he was about to leave the canyon and charge out into the unknown, something grabbed him. It happened so fast that if its intent was to kill him, it wouldn't have encountered hardly any resistance. Whatever it was it lifted him off the ground, bound his arms and legs, and covered his mouth to prevent a shout in an instant.

Struggling against whatever had captured him, Kankurou tried to figure out what was happening. Had those Akatsuki left some kind of trap that he'd walked right into?!

"That's enough, Kankurou," whispered a quiet voice that froze the young Jounin.

_It **can't **be..._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Hyuuga Compound, Konohagakure  
8:30pm**

"Oh, come on!" Naruto yelled out in a whine. "I know she's there! I can fucking smell her!"

"The heiress does not have the time to waste on people like you," the Hyuuga growled, narrowing his eyes dangerously on the Jinchuuriki.

"What is _that _suppose to mean?!" Naruto demanded, equally glaring at the Hyuuga as he stopped trying to walk around the man. "She's my friend and has been for years! Besides, I just need to pick up something that I left with her...Like I've been telling you for the past five minutes!"

"Hinata-sama is currently engaged in matters that are vital to the clan's future," the Hyuuga growled. The man was lucky he was of the Main Family, else Naruto probably would've decked him long ago. "If you wish to visit her, you must make an appointment."

The idea of knocking the man out which had been quickly growing stronger now seemed _far _more appealing than it had before. Make an _appointment _just so he could talk to Hinata-hime?! The _nerve_ of this bastard! Oh how he wanted to kick his ass! But where a younger and more impulsive Naruto might've acted on that desire, he just glared hatefully at the man before turning and walking stiffly away. He could feel the Hyuuga's gaze on his shoulders long after he'd turned the corner.

Once he was sure he was out of the man's Byakugan's range, he raised his hands into the signature cross-seal of the Kage Bunshin. _I don't care what that teme says_, Naruto thought. _I'm going to see Hinata-hime and I'm going to get my scrolls back_. It was this thought that propelled Naruto's next action.

"Kai!" With a poof of smoke, the Kage Bunshin's memories were transferred back to the real Naruto who was currently sneaking his way through the Hyuuga Compound via the back entrance.

_Heh, I suspected as much_, he thought bitterly. If that had been the gate guard's reaction to him just trying to walk through, then it most definitely had been to Naruto's benefit that he hadn't just flown inside the compound on his Kazeodori. Yet, despite his ability to still sneak inside undetected, it was magnitudes more difficult in the early evening hours than in the early hours of the morning.

Currently he was crawling along the ceiling of Hyuuga Main Family's building. Even though it was much harder, he used his chakra sparingly. In a compound of people who could see chakra, any active use of chakra inside their home would seem highly suspicious. Thankfully though the Hyuuga had very strict rules about use of their Byakugan inside their compound, for modesty reasons. He already had several close calls; the ones that had nearly caught him were a small little Hyuuga girl that looked remarkably similar to Hinata (except for the scowl that seemed permanently plastered to her face) and what looked to be one of the elders. However Naruto wasn't the master of stealth and deception for nothing.

Following her scent to where it was strongest, Naruto finally came upon the room of his desire. Hinata's ever-pleasant and calming scent of lilacs that she had always used was flowing freely out of the openings of the door into the room. For just a moment, he froze above the doorway, listening intently. Quietly inside the room, he could hear the subtle rustling of bed sheets. _Good, she's here_.

Dropping with expert ease to the floor without a single sound, Naruto gave one last quick check to be sure that no one was going to notice him. Knocking quietly on the door, he waited patiently for an answer.

After a moment of hurried but muffled movement inside, the door slid to the side to reveal the face of the person he was looking for. Hinata's face flushed instantly upon recognizing him.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?"

"Konbanha, Hinata-hime," Naruto said quietly, still on very high alert. "Gomennasai, but do still have my old scrolls?"

Hinata blinked for a moment as she tried to get her memories straight. Then her blush faded for a moment as she nodded, "Just a moment, onegai, Naruto-kun."

She quickly slid her door closed and rushed about in her room. As she was doing this, Naruto began to examine his escape route possibilities. If he really wanted to further test his stealth capabilities, he could sneak back out in a similar manner as he entered. However because he was not one to take 'unnecessary' chances, he had the Kazeodori strapped snugly to his back if bad came to worse.

And that was when bad went worse.

He sensed them just moments before they appeared. There were four…no, five of them. With the sound of the wide steps they were taking, they walked with extreme confidence and arrogance. As they approached the corner that hid him from their eyesight, he could practically see the smirks that they were wearing. He knew that they were smirking because the feel of their chakra auras was saturated with pride and egotism.

It would take him precious seconds to jump back up to the ceiling and to completely suppress his presence and aura like he had been doing. Seconds that, once they rounded the corner, would easily be wasted when they spotted him. Therefore there was one place he could go to hide from them.

With only a second's hesitation, he snapped Hinata's door open, rushed in, and hurriedly closed it as quietly as he could. Hinata gave a small gasp of surprise at his sudden entry, but he was too busy trying to monitor the group's progress outside to pay her any attention.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked, earning a quick glance. In her hands was a familiar tin box that held his dearest treasures. As he turned his attention back to the group that was striding down the hallway, he began to back away from the door and extracted the box from her hands.

"I might need to hurry," he whispered. With one hand, he stashed the container into his weapons' pouch. The other hand removed the Kazeodori from his back as he glanced towards her window. It was just large enough for him to jump through, and thankfully open to the evening's air.

Outside, the group came to a stop in front of the door. Naruto realized Hinata would get into serious trouble if he was caught in her _room_ of all places…at least they had all their clothes on! Then, for whatever reason, as that thought was passing through his mind, he was struck by an impulse he could no more prevent than he could stop breathing. Turning back to Hinata, Naruto planted a light kiss on her nearest cheek, which caused the poor girl to let a gasp of surprise. Her hand flew to the cheek he'd kissed as her face flushed brightly.

"Oyasuminasai, Hinata-hime!" he whispered quickly.

Just as the door was starting to slide open, he turned and dove out the window. Attaching the Kazeodori to his feet, a powerful blast of wind swept through the room, catching the Hyuuga unawares and giving Naruto precious seconds to rocket away.

"Hinata-sama?" one of the elders said once the sudden wind died down. "What was that?"

Schooling her expression as best she could, she turned towards the elders and said, "N-N-Nothing, Honorable Elder…Just a--Just a gust of wind."

The expression on each of the men clearly showed that they didn't believe her. But they couldn't argue the point since there was no one else with her and her window was wide open.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**8:55pm**

Smiling silently as he walked down the streets, Naruto wasn't even paying attention to where he was going. In his hands was his Fuuton jutsu scroll, a scroll he had not held for what seemed like forever. It was with happy and greedy enthusiasm that his eyes devoured the old and well-known information on the scroll. He had noticed a few errors that he'd discovered during his training that he'd have to correct. And there was the fact that he'd also found new ways to make his jutsu, namely the Kaze Kiwa, a much more efficient weapon in his arsenal.

He was so caught up in his own world that he didn't see the building that had recently been built. His feet had been traveling on muscle memory through streets that hadn't changed all that much in his absence. However this building was the sole exception, which was why he walked straight into and ended up recoiling and falling onto his ass in his disorientation.

Rubbing where he had hit his head gingerly, he put his scroll away as he grumbled to himself. "Okay, who put this deadweight in my way?"

Quickly climbing to his feet, Naruto rushed around the side of the building and froze. It was a theater, but that wasn't what froze him in place. It was the large advertising poster that filled up one of the large windows in the entrance.

This poster had the words _Princess Gale and the Konoha no Gogyou _displayed prominently along the bottom. The rest of the poster had a picture of all of the old Team Seven standing proudly in the front. Naruto was standing to the left and Sasuke was to the right with Sakura crouched down below them. The twelve-year-old kunoichi was holding several kunai in her hands and each had a small bag tied to the hilts. In Naruto's left hand was a blazing Rasengan and Sasuke held a Chidori in his right hand. Both boy's other hands were outstretched above Sakura, apparently together they were holding what looked like a large ball of flame. 'Princess Gale' stood behind them with her sword drawn in a pose, a beautiful rainbow dancing just over her shoulders. Arcing along with the rainbow was a phrase that Naruto vaguely remembered that bastard Makino uttering once. _A__s long as there is hope, one may dream. And with those dreams, the future comes_. And of course near the top was the shady but unbelievably familiar face of Kazahana Doto.

For just a moment, all Naruto could do was stare at the poster. It had seemed like so long ago that he had participated in that mission. But to actually see what he and the others had been fearing right in front of him, all the embarrassment and anger came flooding back to him in an instant. Naruto didn't need to see his reflection in the glass to know he was flushing horribly from those emotions.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" a soft, hesitant voice suddenly called from his side.

Naruto snapped his head to the side so quickly that his neck cracked audibly from the motion. Standing near him was a young girl easily in her early teens, not too far away he spotted a group of what was obviously her friends. All of them had apparently just exited the theater and were blushing and whispering amongst themselves as they glanced at him.

"Hai?" he asked uncertainly.

"Did you r-really do all that?" she asked, nodding ever so slightly towards the poster he had been gazing at.

Glancing back at the poster, Naruto's instincts were screaming at him to run, and to run fast! However, that would be very rude. Plus…he had no idea just how badly that the bastard had screwed with his character and personality.

"Probably not," he said honestly as he looked back at the girl. Then a thought occurred to him and he tilted his head slightly to side as he considered the new idea. "Although…the fights were probably close to the truth…I don't know exactly though."

"Y-You mean you haven't seen it yet?" the girl asked, sounding very surprised.

"Nope," he answered with a forced grin, not that she could've known. "I just got back from a _long_ training mission today."

Apparently, his grin had nearly caused the girl to swoon for some reason. Thankfully for all involved, she managed to catch herself and excused herself as politely as she could manage in her haste.

Blinking slightly in confusion at the girl, Naruto shrugged after a moment and returned to studying the poster. After another moment, Naruto sensed the approach of the girls, all of them. Turning to them, he was surprised to see that all wore a blush of some form on their cheeks.

"Naruto-kun?" one of them said. She was holding a pen and paper that she'd apparently pulled from her purse. "Can I get your autograph?"

For just a moment, all he could do was stare at them in surprise. They wanted his _autograph?_ _For __**real?!**_Then a large grin broke across his face and he said, "Sure, why not?"

It was certainly an interesting experience for Naruto. These were the first autographs he'd ever given before. Though it seemed a little silly to him that they would want it, he couldn't deny the slight amount of pride he felt when he saw their faces light up like beacons after he'd handed them his signature.

Before he left, he asked them, "Was that movie really as great as everyone's making it out to be? When we were doing it, it sure didn't seem all that great to me."

"It was incredible, Naruto-kun!" the girls practically sang out before they rushed off.

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to remove his grin remained, Naruto decided that perhaps he would pay this theater a visit tomorrow. Just to see what all the fuss was about with the movie.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**5:30am, Next day**

In the very slowly waning darkness of night, a lightly sweating blonde was returning from his usual morning workout with a wide smile of content on his face. Jumping as high as he could from one building to the next on his journey back to his aged apartment, he could feel the brisk night air blowing against his partially overheated body. It wasn't quite like flying on the Kazeodori, but it was the closest thing he could get to it.

At this hour, not many people were awake yet. The ones that were roaming the streets were clearly shinobi or early-birds. Several stores in the market area had their lights beginning to turn on as their owners and employees readied for another day of trying to make a living.

As he soared over the streets, Naruto spotted the movie theater he'd bumped into in the distance. From the lack of activity, it was obvious that it was still closed or preparing to open soon for the new day as well.

_This is what I hate about waking up early_, the blonde brooded slightly. _You always have to wait for hours before everyone else finally __**decides **__to show up…almost as bad as waiting for __**Kakashi**_

But as his gaze shifted off the theater, another thought inevitably crossed his mind. If the bastard director had created a movie using the scenes he'd managed to get filmed during the liberation of Snow Country, was he honorable enough to give Team Seven a small piece of the income for their parts in the film?

_He'd better have_, Naruto thought bitterly as he finally landed on his apartment building and slipped in through his ever-broken window. _That mission may have been upgraded to S-Class, but those movie scenes we did certainly weren't apart of the original mission briefing or overall outcome…I need to visit the bank later._

After a quick shower and a small breakfast of eight instant ramen cups, he hurriedly pulled his black and orange-flame jacket over his shoulders as he locked the door and left. He had just under thirty minutes to make a short stop at the bank and then report to the Hokage Tower for his first mission since returning to Konoha with Team Seven. _And I need to talk with Obaasan on what I'm supposed to do with this Chuunin Exam still._

Little did Naruto know that his very first mission had just then arrived in Konoha at that moment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**6:10am**

_I've never seen so many zeroes!_ Naruto thought dazed, still staring at the small inquiry he'd gotten from the Konoha bank. _All that from only two months?! _Naruto's bank account, which had been in a comfortable ten thousand range from his numerous high-level missions with Team Seven, was now fast approaching a million and still climbing! _If I'd known we could've got so much, I think I might've tried to get into another movie with the bastard!_

"There you are!" called an exasperated voice ahead of him. Looking up, he spotted Sasuke and Sakura waiting with annoyed scowls on their faces. Comparing the two, it was a little difficult to judge just who was more annoyed than the other. Sakura growled slightly as she said, "Where have you been?"

Walking up to his friends, he wordlessly held up his bank inquiry slip. Though they didn't see the exact amount in his account, it was quite easy for them to realize just why he was wearing that stupefied expression.

"Found that out, eh?" Sasuke said, sounding quite unimpressed. After all, _his_ bank account was many times larger; the new fortune he was making, thanks to Makino, had barely made any significant increase to it.

Catching his tone and instantly guessing the reason, Naruto glared at Sasuke as he stuffed the inquiry into his pocket. "Not all of us come from a ridiculously rich Kekkei Genkai, Kizuato!"

"At least we're not all yen-less orphans," Sasuke mocked, his scowl slowly being replaced by a smirk. Turning, he started walking into the tower.

"Careful, teme," the blonde growled as he and Sakura followed the Uchiha inside. "Don't make me show you why it was 'yen-less orphans' that brought down the Kamazuchi!"

According to legend, the Kamazuchi had once been an incredibly rich clan, said to be one of the first who were bestowed a Kekkei Genkai. As with the nature of humankind, after many years of prosperity and wealth, the clan grew arrogant and greedy. And though the exact reasons had long been forgotten, the clan had been all but destroyed in one brutal night of blood shed when the peasants and common folk they were charged to 'protect' rose up to rebel against them. Thus was the term 'how the Kamazuchi fell' coined.

"Now you're forgetting why an Uchiha was one of the Founding Fathers of Konoha, Naruto," Sasuke replied, grinning with pride at his ancestor's accomplishments.

"That's enough, you two," Sakura interrupted when she saw Naruto about to answer with another historical anecdote.

"You're no fun; you know that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined as they approached the doorway to the mission selection and briefing room. Glancing over at Sasuke, he muttered, "_How_ did you and Sakura-chan _ever_ get together if she's such a bore, Sasuke?"

Only the opening of the door by Sasuke saved Naruto from getting his head driven into the wooden floor by Sakura, whose eyebrows were twitching dangerously in irritation.

"Ah, Team Seven," Tsunade said glumly. She had a long morning of mission-assigning with Iruka and an already-large pile of paperwork that needed to be sorted and signed. This was not shaping up to be a good day at all!

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Obaasan!" Naruto called over, his smile wide and bright.

"Team Seven," the elderly blonde said, boredom and annoyance lacing her voice as she read off the D-rank mission scroll. "Your mission this morning is painting Ikari Genji-san's hotel complex. Ikari-san has already purchased the necessary supplies. He requires it be completed before noon--"

"You've _got_ to kidding!" Naruto whined childishly, earning glares of annoyance from Tsunade, Iruka, and Sakura, while Sasuke pretended the blonde didn't exist at the moment. "Next?"

"What's _that_ suppose to mean, Naruto?" Tsunade asked irritably. The tone of her voice instantly sent off warning sirens in Sakura's mind.

"We are far too experienced to given such a juvenile mission, _Babaa_," the complaining blonde answered. "You got any B-rank missions ready to go?"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped dangerously without even needing to see the warning ticking of Tsunade's brow, a sign that she was on her last nerves. Grabbing her teammate, she put him into a headlock that he was unable to escape from. "Gomennasai, sensei!"

"Whether you like it or not," Tsunade said in a voice that was just barely more than a growl. "this is the best mission for your team until you've fully managed to bond together again."

"But _Babaa--!_"

"That's _enough_, Naruto," Sasuke said, the order clear in his voice. "or do you want to do the entire mission yourself?"

Despite his awkward position thanks to Sakura, Naruto was still able to throw the young Jounin an ugly glare before a resigned sigh escaped him. Oh how he hated having to take _orders _from the Uchiha _already! _But like an shinobi worth his grain of salt, Naruto finally conceded as he realized the battle was a lost cause. Better to get going while the going was good and return when he was better prepared. There was no loss of honor or dignity in a tactical retreat.

Before anymore could be said, the door to the room was suddenly thrown open. A panicked female Jounin burst into the room waving a slip of paper, "Godaime-sama! The Kazekage's been kidnapped by an organization called 'Akatsuki'! We just got word!"

All inside the room turned with looks of alarm and surprise on their faces. _Gaara…kidnapped?!_

Snatching the paper from the Jounin code-breaker, Tsunade quickly surveyed the message. Sighing, she looked up at Team Seven as the Jounin quickly left the room, no doubt to spread the news. "Team Seven, I believe we just found a new mission for you."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**6:30am**

Just outside the main gates of Konoha, Team Seven were hurriedly doing last minute equipment checks. With the Seigi and Kazeodori strapped snugly to his backside, multiple kunai, shuriken, and exploding notes in his pouch, as well as a pair of containment scrolls that held the rest of his kunai and basic camping supplies, Naruto had everything he'd need on short notice. There was only one thought going through his mind at that moment. _Hold on, Gaara, I'm on my way._

Sasuke was busy tightening his forearm armor, each of which held containment seals that stored over a hundred shuriken. Tucked safely against his waist, as always, was his ever-reliable chokuto and weapons' pouch. He, too, had several containment scrolls that held his other equipment and weapons.

His thoughts were far more confused and jumbled that Naruto's. Sasuke now knew of his brother's involvement with the organization called Akatsuki. If there ever was a chance that he could get close to Itachi and fight him to gauge his strength against his own, it was now. To that end, he was silently bristling with morbid excitement and desire. Sasuke had spent the past eight years since the massacre in patience. And now, after endless months of grueling training for the sole purpose of growing strong enough to defeat Naruto and Itachi, one half of his ambition seemed to be just around the horizon. Yes, Sasuke was _very_ _much_ looking forward to their eventual encounter with his brother.

Of the three of them, Sakura packed the lightest. She merely had a single containment scroll that held all her medical supplies and her rucksack held her own camping equipment. Since she relied more on her strength and close combat, she had only the standard number of kunai and shuriken in her weapons' pouch.

Sakura was pretty neutral on the mission herself. She could understand the determined light in Naruto's eye and his resolve to help his fellow Jinchuuriki and friend. She also was able to see the barely concealed eagerness in Sasuke's movements. He was spoiling for a fight, most definitely with his brother. If the worst came to pass, she'd probably have to knock some sense into the boys to keep them on track with the mission. _That might be a little…__**unpleasant**_, she thought bitterly to herself.

"Yo!" a familiar voice called as a certain white-haired old man landed in front of them. "Going on a mission already, eh, Naruto?"

"Ossu!" Naruto confirmed as he absentmindedly adjusted the Kazeodori's position.

Walking up to his student, Jiraiya placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. Seeing his sensei with one of his rare 'serious' expressions, Naruto gave the man his undivided attention. "Naruto, I want you be very careful if you run into any of those Akatsuki. I know you've gotten much stronger than you were a few years ago, but you _must_ stay focused…Your greatest weakness is getting too hot-headed far too quickly in a serious fight."

At Naruto's solemn expression, Jiraiya knew the young blonde had understood the message. "One last thing…I don't want you using any of your newest jutsu…You know what happens to you when you do."

"…I know," Naruto said quietly, very seriously. "…but I can't make any promises."

Grinning slightly, Jiraiya turned towards Sasuke who had been shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation. "Let's make certain of that then. Oi, Uchiha, come here."

Digging into his pocket, the Gama-Sannin withdrew a slip of paper and handed it to the surprised Uchiha. Sasuke quickly recognized the kanji for 'seal,' painted on the paper. Glancing up at old man, he blankly awaited an explanation.

"In case of an emergence," was all that he said. That was all that was needed to be said.

"Yo!" called another that all of Team Seven recognized. And indeed, walking lazily towards them with his face surprisingly not hidden behind his new hentai book, there was one Hatake Kakashi. "Sorry I'm late, I--"

"--got lost on the road of life?" Sakura finished for him.

"--was helping an old lady cross the street?" queried Sasuke.

"--saw a black cat and had to take the long way around?" suggested Naruto.

Kakashi's smiling eye was sheepishly grinning at the trio of amused shinobi in front of him. "Maybe I should think up some new ones, eh?"

"What do you need, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she hefted her rucksack onto her back.

Quickly turning serious, Kakashi stared pointedly at his former Uchiha apprentice with a stern gaze. "Sasuke, I know you already know this, but you cannot disregard the mission to chase after your own ambitions...Not _this _time, at least. Naruto and Sakura are going to need you on this mission."

Nodding slowly, Sasuke's expression was every bit as solemn as Naruto's had been just moments earlier. "I am a Jounin of Konoha, Kakashi. I will not forget."

"Good," the gray-haired Jounin stated, maintaining a hard stare on the teenager.

"Come on, guys!" Naruto called as he started to running down the path. "We've got a Kage to save!"

"Hai!" Sakura answered as she and Sasuke quickly dashed after him and easily caught up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**(Author's Note)** I'll be honest with all of you. I'm no longer in Kuwait. During my time on deployment, I pissed off the wrong people somehow. After a long process, it was determined by the people in command that I was unfit for military life due my supposedly having a 'personality disorder.' That's a load of bullshit in my opinion. I think that they just wanted me out of their hair. Anyway, because of this _disorder_, I am being discharged from the Army (Honorably Discharged, thankfully).

What does all that mean for you as the reader? It means that for the next two weeks (until I finish discharging), I will have substantially greater amounts of free time in which to write again. Plus I seem to be slowly recovering my drive to write again, which is extremely good news!

Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. It's a bit rough and jumpy I know, but hey I'm still getting back into my groove so to speak. Sorry that they wasn't really anything 'exciting' in this chapter, but there should be something of interest in the Chapter 6 (or at the start of Chapter 7). I just ask you to please be patient with me, I'm doing my best for you.

Babaa--old woman, _derogative term: hag  
_Kizuato--Scar  
Konbanha--good evening  
Ohayo gozaimasu--good morning  
Onegai--please  
Ossu--Yes, sir  
Oyasuminasai--good night


	6. Baki's Plan

This dedication goes to MatrixSailorStarKnightZ. Thank you for beta-reading and the chapter title idea!

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 6: Baki's Plan_

**Sunagakure, one day earlier  
11:00am**

"Baki-san!" a shout sounded from near the exit of the canyon walls. "You'd better come up here and see this for yourself!"

Looking up at the source of the voice, Baki spotted a small but growing group of shinobi. One of them was waving his arm to get his senior's attention. Whatever was there must've been very unusual.

Dashing forward, he came to an abrupt halt after passing easily through the small crowd. What he saw made him pause for a second a small scroll standing on one end in the desert sands with the crest of the Kazekage stamped onto it. As he gingerly examined it with an expert eye, his curiosity was roused further as there seemed to be a lack of traps around it.

Picking up the small scroll, he continued to examine it as he cut the seal and unrolled it. The contents of the scroll filled him with momentary relief, which was quickly replaced by disbelief and dread. When he'd finished reading, he turned to the gathered shinobi with a sigh of resolution.

"Recall all the oinin we've dispatched," Baki barked. "I want them back in the village and to prepare for a possible secondary attack. The rest of you, gather our dead!"

"Ossu!" the shinobi shouted before dashing off to their respective duties.

Turning back to face the desert sea that the two Akatsuki had disappeared back into, Baki growled quietly to himself. "I hope you know what you're doing."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
**Current day, 8:00am**

There are many quirks to being a Kage, even an acting Kage. It was a well-established routine for Baki to take up the role of acting Kazekage whenever Gaaras-sama had to leave the village for extended periods. Thus it was with extreme ease that he now slid back into that role. In fact, if not for the difference in their abilities and strengths, Baki was probably one of the most qualified Jounin in Suna to have taken up the position after the Yondaime Kazekage's death rather than Gaara. And while being the Kazekage was a great blessing, it was also a curse for almost the very same reasons.

People knew who the Kage was and the basics of his or her backgrounds. They were quite often out in the open with their public, interacting with the villagers and shinobi alike. In the Kage's home village, that wasn't as much of a problem. But should they have to join to an opposing village where there were bound to be radicals who lusted for the Kage's death and blood, it put their lives in varying degrees of danger despite even their great strength and skills. That was considered one of the bigger disadvantages.

However one of the lesser known or considered curses with being a Kage was the necessity to maintain good relations with all shinobi, villagers, and especially clans of that particular village, even if the Kage's opinions on matters were significantly different than the ones they were suppose to interact with peacefully. This often led to varying amounts of tension during meetings and even casual conversations.

It was this second curse of being a Kage that Baki now had to handle. How do you convince a pair of the oldest shinobi yet unquestionably most skilled shinobi remaining in the village to return to service after they had long since retired and had literally no desire to associate with their once idolized village?

In the days of their youth, Chiyo-baasama and Ebizou-jiisama's village of Sunagakure had been _the_ most powerful and recognized village of the world. The strength of the old Sunagakure, which had been led by the Sandaime Kazekage at the time and until his sudden disappearance, had been praised and feared by all. The secrets of their strength had been in the way that they had trained their shinobi to be near-perfect killing machines with little to no emotions to interfere with their judgment and thus their missions.

But with not only the sudden disappearance of the Sandaime Kazekage, Konohagakure's unexpected victory in the Third Great Shinobi War, the inauguration of the Yondaime Kazekage, and finally the sealing of the Ichibi into Gaara, the strength of Sunagakure and their vision of greatness crumbled before their eyes. The desertion of Chiyo's grandson, Akasuna no Sasori, had been the final straw. They had all but cut their ties to Suna, choosing to watch as their village grew "weak and feeble," having to form a multitude of temporary alliances to even stay in power. The alliance with Konoha was only the most recent, yet the most painful of all the previous ones.

He had tried to avoid this moment. In all honesty, he did not want to have to turn to them for help since he knew there was a high possibility of not receiving it. Thus he had made sure that his shinobi had made all possible attempts. But the situation was far more dire than he had originally thought. And now here Baki was, about to beg the aid of two retired shinobi who had all but abandoned their village. The odds were definitely against him.

Thankfully he had an advantage that could make the odds lean a bit more his way.

He found them sitting in a large room. Chiyo, the legendary poison master and puppeteer who had once taken down an entire fortress by herself, was sitting on one side of the small pool of water in the center of the room. Her seemingly frail, wrinkled hands held an old bamboo fishing rod, waiting patiently for dinner to take nibble off the waiting bait. Her brother, Ebizou, was sitting on the opposite edge merely watching his sister fish for their dinner.

If not for their steady breathing, it would've been very easy to have mistaken the pair to have died of old age based on their aged, wrinkled faces and motionless bodies. But Baki knew that after a very long lifetime as elite shinobi, each of them was subconsciously poised to attack in a second's notice.

"Siblings," he began in clear and very respectful tone. "I beg you to assist us."

"A pair of old has-beens like us?" Chiyo asked sharply, not looking up from her gaze of watching the fishing line in the water. "We are of no use to Sunagakure anymore."

"An organization called Akatsuki has attempted to take the Ichibi and escaped," Baki continued, determined that they be fully informed of the situation before they sent him away. As he considered the next part of his statement, he was hit by momentary inspiration. Why not tickle their pride in their village? Surely that would sway them, if only a little right? "If we allowed this insult to remain, Suna would appear even more _inept_ than we were before."

"This is your generation," the elder man grunted out sternly, feeling only apathy to the jab. "Do it by yourselves."

Undeterred, Baki tried his last card before he pulled the ace. "You two still possess a spy network in nearly every country not allied to us. We need that network now, more than ever."

"We have no desire to aid such a weak village," Chiyo snapped, turning a glare upon Baki looked rather strange on such a wrinkled face. The fact that their once-mighty village had been so terribly weakened while under the leadership of the incompetent Yondaime Kazekage (in their eyes at least) was one of the biggest insults to their pride and lives. "I have only one remaining attachment to this village: I wish to see my dear grandson's face once more."

Returning her gaze to the pool as she felt a nibble on the bait, she said one last statement before she planned to dismiss the Jounin. "Besides, we retired _long_ ago."

If he hadn't had a reputation to uphold and if he'd been thirty years younger, Baki might've leapt up and let out a shout of joy and relief. She had brought the issue up all by herself! This was better than he could've hoped for. "I believe I should share some recent intelligence we received from a very reliable source. One of the Akatsuki members is your grandson."

Needless to say, the twins would not be having fresh sushi for dinner that night as Chiyo's attention was now solely focused on Baki.

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**Sunagakure, two days later  
1:45pm**

It was a group of four badly sweating and panting shinobi that approached the entrance of Suna. Due to the fact that they had run into a slight dust storm and with the amount of sweat that coating their bodies, Team Seven and Temari were covered in sand and a thin layer of mud over their exposed skin.

Having run into Temari shortly after leaving Konoha and explaining the situation to her, the pregnant Suna-kunoichi had promptly joined their team. Against all of their recommendations, Temari kept with their faster-than-necessary sprinting pace despite the precious cargo in her gut.

"Gaara is my brother!" was all she'd say whenever they had asked or demanded she slow down.

"Temari-san!" a voice called out from one of the hidden terraces of the crevice. A Chuunin leapt down level with them with a concerned look on his face. "Thank goodness you've returned."

"What's wrong?" she demanded fiercely, asking the question that had been on each of Team Seven's minds.

"Baki-san wishes to see you and the Konoha-nin," the Chuunin said. "I think he's in the Kazekage Tower."

Due to the fact that they each eaten a soldier pill, they still had near limitless energy despite running through their bodies. It was why that even after two whole days of nonstop sprinting they were able to take off running again down the crevice and into Suna. In the tower, they came upon Baki who looked like he was having a very bad day.

"You're finally here," he said, sounding very relieved. "A little earlier than I'd expected, though."

"What's the status?" Sasuke asked, wiping some of his sweat and mud off his forehead.

"It would seem that we've got our hands tied at the moment," Baki said, standing and walking around the desk. "Our original message to Konoha had been sent a bit prematurely it seems."

"Prematurely?" all four asked, two of the speakers had hope rising up inside them.

"Hai," Baki answered, nodding. "Godaime-sama apparently wasn't _captured..._he _followed_ them."

"...Oh, shit," Naruto moaned quietly to himself, his sentiments were completely shared by his teammates. _This doesn't bode well._

_"What do you mean he followed them?!"_ Temari demanded, very close to screaming.

"He tricked them--and us--into thinking that they'd captured him, but it seems that it was probably only a Suna Bunshin. He and Kankurou--"

"_HIM TOO?!"_

"--took off to pursue them back to their base," Baki continued, his face grim. "Gaara-sama left us instructions to not pursue them. He stated that it was possible there could be a secondary attack now that they thought they'd succeeded in their mission."

"Let me guess," Sasuke said slowly. "You've also completely lost their trail by now."

Baki's look of shame was answer enough.

"Where was the last place they fought?" he asked as he began nodding towards his blonde teammate. "He may not look like much, but this dobe is an excellent tracker."

"Better to not look like much than to look like a woman," Naruto countered, a grin peeking out of his solemn expression. "No offense, Sakura-chan, Temari-san."

"I'm afraid that won't do much good," Baki answered, cutting off the kunoichi's replies. "Gaara-sama and the Akatsuki, a blonde-haired man, fought in the air above Suna."

"That must've been _awesome_," Naruto mumbled to himself.

"What was the Akatsuki's fighting style?" Sasuke pressed on.

"He used some kind of long-distance explosives...Doton element, I believe," rubbing his chin in thought, Baki glanced at the Uchiha. "You would probably stand the best against that man, with your Raiton jutsu of course."

Sasuke didn't need to see the slight teasing twinkle in the older Jounin's eye to know that he, too, had seen the movie. How else would a Jounin in Sunagakure know of Sasuke's secondary chakra affinity?

Turning, Baki began to guide them outside. "Uzumaki-san, do you still require something to track them with?"

"No thanks," Naruto said, grinning slightly as he looked around the room. "This is Gaara's office right? This is more than enough!"

"I've got several shinobi that ready and willing to accompany you," the temporary Kazekage said as they walked out into the wind-swept streets.

"I'm coming too," Temari interrupted, earning annoyed and surprised glances from the group. "I'm not going to sit around here waiting like a little damsel while my brothers are in danger. Besides I owe them a good beating for doing something so _stupid!"_

"Temari!" a loud voice croaked from above them. "You will remain in this village! Do not forget that you are pregnant!"

On the edge of the Tower's balcony several stories above them, stood an ancient looking woman wrapped in frayed clothing and a simple hat. "I am far more than enough to accompany those little whippersnappers."

"But Chiyo-sama!" Baki yelled out in concern, though he was secretly pleased. As a shinobi, Baki could not order any active shinobi to accompany the Konoha team, as per Gaara-sama's orders on the scroll. However, Elder Chiyo had long since retired as a shinobi, thus she didn't have to follow Gaara's orders if she didn't want to. And though she was clearly no longer in her prime, she was every bit as formidable as she had been fifty years earlier.

Yes, she would do plenty well as an additional team member...once they recovered from seeing a walking mummy not break every bone into her body from the jump she made. After all it wasn't everyday they saw someone old enough to be their great-great-grandmother and yet have that kind of versatility and strength in their joints, shinobi or not.

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**River Country  
2:32pm**

Deidara grinned crookedly as he and Sasori neared the Akatsuki hideaway. It was one of many obscure hidden bases that they had created throughout the many countries for their eventual plan of world domination. Having a high number of mysterious rendezvous, staging, and supply points was not only a tried-and-true war tactic, but also a specialty among the Akatsuki.

At long last, he and Sasori could drop the charade and attain their real prize. It had been annoying and almost painful for the blond and the puppet-man maintain the illusion that they hadn't noticed the truth about their 'captive.' Although, to be fair with their target, it had taken them nearly a full day before their finally noticed it, a true tribute to the boy's skill level.

They were not transporting an unconscious Kazekage Jinchuuriki like they had originally believed. It was a Suna Bunshin. It was lack of a slowly replenishing chakra signature from the body that had finally caught their attentions on the next morning of the journey to their designated hideout. All shinobi, no matter badly injured or weak, would slowly regain their chakra reserves after a significant passing of time. But Bunshin, no matter what kind, always had a set amount of chakra.

Once this anomaly had caught their attentions and they'd closely but discreetly examined the body, it became very obvious to them. Sasori, as a master puppeteer who created his toys from dead bodies, knew a dead body from an unconscious body. The Suna Bunshin that Deidara had brought back was indeed as close to being an authentic near-corpse Kazekage, right down to the slight pulse of a heartbeat and the wheezing breath. For such minor and nearly insignificant details to be maintained for hours on end was nothing short of extraordinarily impressive for it took constant concentration and very large chakra supply.

Deidara, though nowhere near the expert, was well-acquainted with corpses. Despite his quick intelligence and ranking as an S-Class nuke-nin, he had been completely fooled by the Suna Bunshin at first. But, like with Sasori, if it hadn't been for the ever-constant chakra inside the Bunshin not gradually increasing, he probably would've continued to have been fooled.

And since all Bunshin had relatively short distances they could travel before dissipating, Deidara and Sasori both quickly realized why the clone hadn't crumbled yet. They're Jinchuuriki target was following them, no doubt wanting to track them to their primary base of operations. So it was a fortunate thing indeed that Pein had ordered them to journey to River Country instead of Rain Country.

Deidara knew that he'd have to fight the Jinchuuriki again. Deidara was the best matched against the Ichibi, much to Sasori's chagrin. That was why the pair of them had maintained the charade of not having noticed the Jinchuuriki's trick. With his depleted armory of clay and the significant drop in his chakra levels from their fight, the long walk had given him precious time to recover and discreetly gather a respectable amount of clay in preparation.

Now that they had finally arrived, Deidara's eagerness increased slightly. After all, it wasn't often he would be able to put on a dazzling display of his art for all his comrades (even if he despised some of them). Since they would be sending their temporal forms, they would have no choice but to watch the display and be in awe of his incredible skills.

_Perhaps I'll even give that Uchiha-teme a small glimpse of what will one day end his life_, Deidara thought as small waves of killing desire began to leak off his shoulders. An quiet, bloodthirsty chuckle snuck out of his lips as the large boulder slowly hoisted itself into the air to allow access to the massive cavern within.

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**(Author's Note) **Heh, I knew I was going to get a fair number of reviews who wanted to comfort me, but the sheer quantity has still surprised me! You guys don't need to worry about me too much. To be brutally honest, the reason that I'm even being discharged is because I didn't really put up too much of a fight to stop it. Yes, I would've very much appreciated being able to finish my tour over there. But at the same time, my 'job' was so dull and slow that there was barely any reason for me to even go to work most of the time (aside for accountability reasons).

Due to an extensive lack of an active job to do (both in Kuwait and in my home station), I just figured I'd save myself the boredom and get out while I still had the opportunity. Besides, since it is an Honorable Discharge, I can always reenlist in a few years if I decide to return to military service.

As much as I appreciate your concern, please tell me what you guys think of this chapter. And the last one too would be nice, but that doesn't necessarily matter anymore. Tell me, do you think I'm taking the storyline too slowly, too quickly, not enough emphasis on certain details? I mean, come on I know I'm forgetting something in this chapter since it just doesn't seem to have the same 'feel' as the first three.


	7. In the Darkness

**This chapter is dedicated to rasengan86. Thank you for beta-reading!**

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 7: In the Darkness_

**Akatsuki hideout, River Country  
2:32pm**

"You know something that I dislike?" Deidara asked as he and Sasori entered the gigantic cavern. "It's having my prey think that they've fooled me…But what _really_ I hate is when they _actually_ do."

"Is that your excuse for bringing that Bunshin all the way here?" a cold, eerie voice demanded from the deep darkness of the cavern.

"The Jinchuuriki was much more skilled than I'd originally anticipated," Deidara replied in a surprisingly even voice, despite the great amount of fear that suddenly shot through his body. _Shit! I didn't think he'd come here himself!_

Some footsteps echoed in the silence of the darkness as a pair of vague silhouettes stepped forward. Deidara and Sasori stared back steadily at their superiors without flinching. Separately, the pair of them were undefeatable and outrageously powerful. But together, they were the things of legends. And the fact that both of them decided to grace the pair with their presences meant that _someone_ was most likely going to die…or something _big_ was about to happen.

Movement at the entrance of the cavern drew the attentions of the four Akatsuki agents. As the Suna Bunshin disintegrated, all four Akatsuki turned when they heard a sound. A literal tidal wave of blood-thirsty sand came blasting into the cavern towards them. Like any person with a grain of common sense, the four individuals leapt clear of the onslaught easily.

As they face the entrance, they saw their opponents standing proudly in a dazzling halo of sunlight. It was a fiercely glaring brother duo. Sand was frolicking wildly around Godaime Kazekage Gaara, dancing and thrashing to the torrent of raging emotions that lay hidden behind his ever-present mask. Kankurou, on the other hand, was quite content to show his deep anger the quartet as he reached for the trio of thick containment scrolls strapped to his back.

"I see you finally decided to show yourself," Pein observed, thoroughly measuring Gaara. The teenaged Kazekage's chakra levels were still significantly diminished, probably just over half of what they normally were. Yet he could also feel the slight pulse of youki circling weakly around the boy, he was drawing on small portions of the Ichibi's power to speed up replenishing his lost reserves. And from the look on the boy's face, he was most definitely considering using the Ichibi's full powers when the fighting started.

"So, you ready for round two?" Deidara asked with a snide grin as he quickly regained his usual swagger. He had already gotten a good measure on the young Kazekage and now knew various ways to defeat the boy. Even if he pulled out the Ichibi, Deidara was completely confident he could still win.

Giving the two strangers calculative glances, Gaara said icily, "You have attacked my village, when we have done nothing to provoke any such hostile actions…" There was a certain tremor in his voice that sent warning bells ringing loudly in Kankurou's head. He started to move unobtrusively to the side, knowing full well what was going to happen in point-three seconds. "Thus, you shall a**ll die now!!**"

With a sudden feral roar, Gaara dropped down onto all fours as a haze of yellow youki and sand erupted around him. The light that the youki was giving off was enough to momentarily light up the darkness as Gaara's abilities suddenly took a drastic increase. Before the light and dust had even cleared, a partially-transformed Gaara launched himself at the quartet with the speed a high-powered bullet. Only Pein and the shady leader were able to leap clear in time to avoid the boy's monstrous appendixes.

Landing on opposing sides of the cavern walls, Pein and his partner simply sat back to watch the fight that was soon to take place. Even as they landed, Pein sensed the arrival of the rest of the Akatsuki agents via astral projections. Silently, the gathered collection of powerful nuke-nin watched the battle unfold below them.

Sighing slightly in resignation, Pein watched as the target was able to slam Deidara into the far cavern wall with his mutated arm. But the twisted body lost its coloration to reveal it had been a Dosei Bunshin. Sasori, knowing that this level of battle was outside his specialty range, had quickly fled for the exit. But the moment that he'd set foot on dry land, he spotted the Kazekage's brother.

Glancing momentarily over at his partner, Pein saw him watching the battle with a piercing gaze. It was an unspoken agreement between them that they'd only step in if Sasori, but mostly Deidara, were about to die. Despite being such a loose-cannon, Deidara's skills were highly unique and extremely useful for their cause.

Down on the cavern floor, the battle between the Gaara and Deidara had begun…

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"Well then, boy," the hunchbacked figure said as he noticed Kankurou nearby. "Since the Kazekage's focused on Deidara, what do you say we entertain ourselves while they have their fun?"

Smirking with a false show of bravado, Kankurou reached for the three sealing scrolls on his back. He could tell from just one glance that this obese man was a lot tougher than he let on. "That's just fine with me."

With practiced ease, he summoned his three most favorite puppets from their scrolls. Karasu and Kuroari took the offensive positions with Sanshouo hanging back defensively. Immediately, Kankurou sent Karasu and Kuroari racing forward in a basic attack pattern. With a flick of his finger, he had Karasu launch a trio of kunai at his enemy.

Dodging with impressive speed for a seemingly fat man, the man chuckled darkly. "So, a boy like you wants to use puppets against me? This is not going to be very entertaining in the least."

"How about you shut up and fight?!" Kankurou yelled as Kuroari rushed the man's backside.

Without even looking, the man leapt into the air to evade the attack. Kankurou grinned slightly as he directed Karasu up above the man and sent a wave of poisoned senbon down upon him. Those senbon would've skewered the man's face with pinpoint accuracy if a long scorpion-like tail hadn't suddenly sprouted from under his cloak and deflected them.

Rather than let himself become distracted, Kankurou pressed the attack. He slammed Karasu down into the man, but the puppet was easily blocked by the tail. However, it had served its purpose wonderfully. The man was now falling straight into the gaping jaws of Kuroari's stomach, which quickly closed shut after he'd landed inside.

"Karakuri Engeki," Kankurou muttered as he quickly disassembled Karasu and sent the bladed limbs flying for the small openings. "Kuro Higi Ippatsu!" The lack of any blood or sounds from Kuroari immediately told Kankurou that something was wrong.

As he was withdrawing and reassembling Karasu, a sound behind him caused Kankurou to jump to the side. Turning to see what was behind him, he spotted the man's scorpion tail erupting from under the ground and flying towards him. Yanking Sanshouo with one arm in front of him and erecting its shield, he heard a loud clang of metal on metal as the tail was blocked. Using his other arm, he pulled Karasu into the air and sent a spray of poisoned senbon at where the man had emerged from the ground. But like before, the senbon were easily dodged.

Grinding his teeth in anger and forcefully suppressing his rising fear, Kankurou stared at the man. '_I don't get it. It's like he can read my every move! And he's anticipating every attack with my jutsu_.'

"I stand corrected," the man said, amusement faintly noticeable in his voice. "You are indeed very skilled with those puppets and your reflexes are very admirable. This could prove to be more entertaining that I first thought."

"Don't take me so lightly!" Kankurou yelled.

Karasu and Kuroari began circling the man for a moment before launching volleys of kunai and senbon. The man's tail once again easily blocked each and every projectile before suddenly lashing out. With devastating force, the tail smashed Karasu and Kuroari to pieces.

"And now let me show you Sanshouo's weakness," the man said as his tail dashed forward.

'_I don't have a choice!_' Kankurou realized a split second before the tail arrived. Yanking Sanshouo in front of him, as though to defend him from the assault, Kankurou severed his chakra strings to his puppets.

The giant iron shield on Sanshouo's back went flying after the tail snapped the joints and bashed it aside. With another flick of the tail, Sanshouo was utterly crushed…but Kankurou had vanished.

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"My, my!" Deidara chuckled as he jumped onto his discarded bird. "You certain have a temper! And you are a terrible house guest, attacking before even giving a proper greeting!"

The misshapen Kazekage ignored his enemy's taunts as he crouched against the cavern wall like some animal, watching his prey take flight with mismatched eyes. His mutated arm was supporting a vast majority of his weight as it held him against the wall, its powerful grip crushing the rock under it like tinfoil. He knew that Deidara was going to try to bring out his clay bombs once he attained a great enough altitude, just like at Sunagakure. Only this time, Gaara wasn't throwing this fight for _anything!_

Standing upright, Gaara thrust his arms out as he focused hard. The sand that had slowly been stretching over his shoulders began working it's way up his other arm as he drew upon more youki.

Seeing the Jinchuuriki preparing something, Deidara hurriedly reached into his cache of clay and started molding it into his agile bird bombs. But unlike his fight in Sunagakure, he was packing them with measured amounts of his chakra. He couldn't afford to expend all of his newly recovered reserves when it was obvious that his opponent wasn't using his own.

Throwing the seven birds into the air, they formed and began hovering around him protectively. Knowing that Gaara was about to attack, he sent two of the birds to attack and distract him. However, before they came anywhere close to him, Gaara let out a roar as the cavern walls suddenly began shaking violently.

"What's going on?" Deidara demanded, a little unnerved. It wasn't until he saw thousands of sand needles erupt out the walls and come racing at him at immeasurable speeds. Deidara sent his birds and himself flying in wild patterns throughout the cavern in a desperate attempt to escape.

"**Suna Harimedo!**" Gaara roared out as he waved his arms about, directing and redirecting the sand needles towards his evasive target.

'_Using the terrain to keep me on the evasive, and thus unable to properly counterattack…__**clever**_,' Deidara deduced. '_But what affect is this having on the terrain?_'

Willing his bird to fly closer to the wall, Deidara quickly analyzed what he saw. The sand was being drawn out from between cracks of the rocks in the walls, and no doubt creating more sand as it was being pulled out. But that would mean that the Jinchuuriki was weakening the cavern. '_If he keeps the attack going much longer, he'll most likely cause a cave-in!_' Deidara realized. '_And I can't use __**my**__ jutsu, or else I could cause a cave-in myself…I need to take this outside!_'

Looking around hurriedly, he spotted only one of his bird bombs had thus far escaped being turned into a pincushion. He sent it swooping in on the now halfway transformed Kage. Gaara was still focusing his attention on his Suna Harimedo so he didn't seem to notice the approach of the bomb until it was too late.

Exploding in a dazzling fiery display, the bomb provided Deidara with ample amount of cover as he flew his clay bird towards the cavern's entrance. Yet even as he approached the light, an oppressive aura of titanic proportions descended upon his shoulders. The gaze of a rampaging beast had fallen upon him, thirsting for his death.

It was his only warning before a massive stalagmite came rocketing out of the ceiling, guided by the powers of Gaara.

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'_Where'd he go now?_' Sasori wondered as he glanced around almost distractedly.

As much fun as it was to see this little boy's expression change from self-confident to worried and scared as his puppets' attacks were repeatedly rendered useless, Sasori was getting bored of this. Not only that, but he had a job to do in acquiring the Jinchuuriki.

He knew he shouldn't have left that task up to Deidara! The incompetent fool had allowed the Jinchuuriki to outsmart him, which was now delaying their task of extracting the Bijuu. And now, the blonde brat was once again being outsmarted in battle. If their battle continued at the pace it was, the entire cavern was going to be destroyed! It was just a shame that the Jinchuuriki's abilities were a complete mismatch to his skills. If that was him battling Gaara, the battle would've been over by now.

A sudden shower of kunai from his side quickly redirected Sasori back to the battle at hand. Flicking his tail out, he easily deflected the kunai. This brat just didn't learn that projectile weapons didn't work against him, did he?

A slip of paper dangling off each kunai changed his mind.

"Boom," Kankurou said, igniting the six explosive notes he'd attacked to the kunai.

For the split second before the explosion, Kankurou saw the man's eyes widen ever so slightly out of surprise. It was a truly vindictive pleasure to see that near-nonexistent expression of fear on this man.

When the smoke and fire cleared, Kankurou was treated to a very unsettling sight. The massive cloak the man wore had been uttered destroyed, and what it revealed underneath was something he hadn't seen before. The man's body was highly disproportioned and clearly not his true body.

In Sunagakure, there are a surprisingly few number of shinobi who use puppetry. This was mostly because puppet-users were generally very weak physically, they relied solely on their puppets to do the fighting. However, the few who actually deserved the merit to be called 'masters' were some of the fiercest and most dangerous shinobi in Wind Country. And Kankurou, who was still training relentlessly to attain a level beyond master, instantly recognized just what the man was wearing.

"So, you're a puppeteer too?" he said, a frown pulling at his lips. "That would explain how and why you could predict my moves earlier with such ease."

"Very true, boy," the man said in a faintly amused tone. "But there's another reason as well. Since I created those puppets, I know them very well indeed."

"What?!" Kankurou gasped. _This is bad! Very bad! _"A-Are you Akasuna no Sasori? The infamous puppet master who abandoned Suna twenty years ago?!"

"For a brat like yourself to know my name," was the man's answer. "is a truly an honor indeed. But enough small talk, I've got a job to do and you're delaying me."

"Oh shit," Kankurou whispered to himself. _I'm a goner for sure!_

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**Wind Country, 73 miles away from the border  
2:50am**

Team 7 and Chiyo had made excellent progress across the desert as they followed Naruto's nose. The formation they were following was rather simple. Naruto was at the point, following the weak trail he'd discovered. Sakura followed as back-up, with Sasuke and Chiyo pulling the rear guard.

When she had joined the team, Chiyo had been absolutely disgusted with herself. Here, on this one team, was a combination of three majors pieces of the Konoha shinobi power from during the Third Great Shinobi War. An Uchiha, whose skills had already garnered him a great amount of renown and respect. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki (she recognized the whisker marks for what they were), who possessed the very same chakra alignment that Wind Country shinobi prided themselves on. And finally, the youngest apprentice of Tsunade, whose abilities were already reaching higher than many other healers in Sunagakure. Why had she joined this team again?

At first, she mostly kept her opinions to herself as she silently observed the young team. It became immediately clear to her that they were extremely familiar with one another, probably were on the same genin team. The Uchiha, despite being a Jounin and the leader, seemed quite content to hold argument contests and bicker pointlessly with the Jinchuuriki. That was rather unusual from the normal Uchiha persona that she had known during her prime years. Though she quickly understood why they bickered since the Jinchuuriki could actually poise some very unique and entertaining counters against the Uchiha. Tsunade's apprentice played mostly the role of mediator, though she did throw in some of her insults at either of the boys when she deemed they were getting a bit too carried away.

It was this sense of camaraderie between them that Chiyo began to grow confused. Based on several of their comments, both the Uchiha and Haruno knew about the boy being a Jinchuuriki. Yet all their barbs and insults were made in jest or with a strange hidden meaning underneath. Why? Why did they seem to instantly accept him for being what he was?

Chiyo was no stranger to what a bijuu or Jinchuuriki was or what they could do when push came to shove. She also understood that while a Jinchuuriki held a bijuu inside them, they themselves were not the beast. She knew for a fact that every single shinobi village that had a Jinchuuriki treated the unfortunate souls as though they were the scum of the earth, or they were terrible beasts. Either way, they were isolated, left to grow crazy in their loneliness. Eventually, all Jinchuuriki snapped and lashed out back at the people who avoided them.

This was especially true for Gaara. He had followed in exactly the same footsteps as his predecessors had: being raised to be cold killing machines, lonely but scared to associate with others for fear of rejection, unable to control his abilities at an early age which resulted the deaths of numerous people around him. Then after one assassin too many, he finally snapped. He sought companion by the very creature who had ever caused his isolation.

Then, three years ago, Gaara suddenly changed. He began to lose his cold, indifferent persona, slowly but steadily reaching out for others. It had started with his siblings, then his sensei, and gradually to the rest of the shinobi of Sunagakure. Once it had been discovered that Gaara had somehow changed, the masses had quickly accepted this new teenager. Even making him the new Kazekage.

Now Chiyo was seem reflections of Gaara the Kazekage in this blonde Jinchuuriki. Was this boy the reason Gaara had been able to change so much? If so, how did he do it? And since Jinchuuriki in the past hated one another, why was he trying to save Gaara now? So many questions…

"Chiyo-baasama?" a quiet voice spoke up nearby. "Is there something wrong? You seem a bit tense."

Looking up, she spotted the young Uchiha Jounin staring at her. Though his expression had returned to the usual cool indifferent one that she'd seen so many times before on his clansmen, the look in his eyes was questioning. Ahead them, Chiyo saw that the blonde and the Haruno girl were currently in the midst of an argument about something to do with a boat and a shapeshifter. From the sounds of it, it was an old favorite argument of theirs.

"Why is that boy trying so hard to save Gaara?" she asked in a very quiet tone. "Jinchuuriki tend to despise one another, fighting to the death to prove who's strongest…Why do you follow him with such camaraderie despite what he has no doubt done to the others in your own village?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, turning his attention back to his friend and teammate. After a moment of contemplation, he turned back to Chiyo with a serious expression. "Let me share with you an observation I made of Naruto a long time ago."

Interested, Chiyo gave the young Uchiha her full attention.

"From a young age, Naruto has had nothing," Sasuke said quietly. "He was hated for being what he was, and had almost no one to go to for comfort…But he pushed through." A small rueful grin split across his face as he continued, "Despite his total lack of tact or social standing, he's actually something of a genius…in his own way. And when he fights, when he _truly _fights, it's like watching a force of nature: beautiful but extremely dangerous…And it makes you realize just how weak you yourself are. It makes you want to train harder, get stronger. So that one day you can fight him to gauge your skills and then push yourself beyond those limits. To become the strongest you can possibly be."

Turning his attention back towards his friends, Sasuke said, "When we meet up with Gaara, you'll see what I mean."

Chiyo was silent as she stared the young Jounin. He was clearly speaking from personal experience, she had no delusions that he must've battled the blonde himself in such a manner. Was that blonde really so strong that he could get an _Uchiha,_ of all people, to admit that he wasn't all-powerful? That boy would require further investigation on her part.

It was with slight surprise that she suddenly found herself anticipating the coming fights. And for reasons beyond simply getting to see her long-lost grandson, no less. Clearing her mind, she forced herself to focus. It was not time to get sidetracked!

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**(Author's Note) **I know, it's been like forever since I updated this story. My only excuse is a combination of lack of inspiration and exhaustion. Have any of you ever worked 3rd shift in a poultry factory? Not a pleasant experience, and the smell only makes it worse!! But beggars can't be choosers I guess.

That's right, I have finally moved out! I've settled down, gotten a job, and a fairly reliable source of internet connection! Aside from the late hours and the nasty smell, I'm living on cloud nine now! Boy is 'freedom' (if you wanna call it that) blissful!

Another reason for the long delay between posts is fairly simple. Up until recently, I've been having conflicting desires of where I want this story to go and how much canon I want to incorporate into it. With all the revelations that Madara has given us, as well as Sasuke's not so surprising decision to destroy Konoha (which is ironic and pitifully predictable in my opinion), things have been quite confusing for me.

But no more.

_Translations_:  
_Dosei_--clay  
_Karakuri Engeki, Kuro Higi Ippatsu_: Puppet Performance, Black Secret Technique

**Suna Harimedo**--_Eye of the Sand Needle_/One of Gaara's newer attacks, it draws upon sand and gravel from the surrounding landscape, forms it into needles and spikes, and shoots it the enemy(s). Due to the extremely high speeds, it is a very difficult jutsu to dodge or counter against. However, this jutsu requires a considerable amount of chakra and it's best used when in a canyon or cave where there is significantly greater amounts of rock and dirt available. (High B-Class Ninjutsu) (Gaara)


	8. Overwhelming Power!

**Big thanks to Son Kenshin for beta-reading! Don't miss his next chapter, it should be coming out fairly soon now.**

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance  
_Chapter 8: Overwhelming Power!_

**Akatsuki hideout, River Country  
2:52pm**

With only a second to dodge, Deidara and his bird took an abrupt turn. The large stalagmite that had been plummeting towards them blew past and crashed powerfully into the cave floor. Seeing that it had formed a slight mound, Deidara got an idea and dropped off his bird to hide behind it.

As soon as he set foot on the ground, a loud explosion went off behind him. He didn't need to look to know that his bird had just been destroyed. Reaching into his satchel, his hand-mouths greedily devoured a significant portion of the clay inside. Spreading his hands out, he quickly spat the reformed clay out.

Rather that continue using his Suna Harimedo, Gaara leapt forward. Landing in a crouch on top of the former stalagmite, he peeked over of the rock. Just as he did, a literal tidal wave of clay-colored animals like tigers, boars, dogs, and even a tanuki, came rushing up at him. Letting out a roar, he crossed his arms and thrust them forward. The sand of his mutated arms morphed and became severed edges, slashing the animals to pieces.

As the animal pieces fell to the ground, they began to reform themselves and resumed their attack on him. Growling angrily as even more began to charge up at him, Gaara leapt away from the stalagmite and landed several dozen meters.

Loud laughter erupted from behind the stalagmite as the animals formed a defensive line around it. Emerging from behind the rock, his hated enemy rode atop a large elephant of clay.

"Don't think that this battle is over just because you beat my birds, boy," Deidara called over, sneering cockily as his animals began to charge forward.

A deadly growl was all the response he got.

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"Since I dislike waiting or making people wait," Sasori said as he lifted his left arm. "I'll end this right now."

Knowing full well that that arm was a puppet and probably contained hidden and most likely poisonous weapons, Kankurou was already well prepared when it suddenly shot forward. For once thanking his father for all those lessons in taijutsu and speed training, Kankurou dodged to the side. He had hidden behind a nearby tree when there was a loud crash of loud followed immediately by hundreds of smaller ones. He quickly recognized the sound as senbon impacting their targets.

Gut instinct caused Kankurou to jump away from his hiding spot. A second later, the tree was sliced in half by the scorpion tail, right where he'd been standing. Landing lightly on another tree, he withdrew a several kunai and discreetly attached some chakra strings to them. _I need to destroy his armor_, Kankurou realized as he jumped away with Sasori hot on his tail. _Then it should be much easier to defeat or stall him._

"I was right," a voice to his left said conversationally. Kankurou tried to not tense up when he realized that Sasori had caught up to him without him even realizing it. "You are quite skilled for a brat. You're one of the first to dodge that first attack."

"I'm flattered," Kankurou grunted as he threw the string-tagged kunai at Sasori. Predictably, the scorpion tail lashed out and blocked the weapons. Kankurou restrained his smirk expertly as he transferred the strings from the kunai to the tail. "But I only date pretty _girls_."

"How very immature," Sasori remarked idly at the weak barb. "Are you in that much of a hurry to die?"

"Depends," Kankurou answered, putting on a forced grin. Jumping back to the ground, he faced his opponent and pulled out his last two explosive notes and kunai. As he was gently winding the notes around the hilt of the kunai, he continued, "but let's let the fight decide who's going to die and who's not."

"Indeed," Sasori said. "I do have some rather pressing business with your brother." Eyeing the kunai that Kankurou was tinkering with, he let out a weary sigh of annoyance. The boy just refused to learn didn't he? Kunai, shuriken, and even explosive notes had little effect against his Hiruko's armor. And though Hiruko had its own weaknesses, like every other puppet, they were easily hidden and protected.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that your appointment with the Kazekage has been cancelled," Kankurou said, putting on a false show of bravo as he readied himself for his next attack.

"We'll see," Sasori answered, bringing his tail forward as he saw Kankurou prepare himself.

Dashing forward with all his speed, Kankurou felt slight satisfaction as he saw Sasori's eyes widen fractionally in surprise at his speed. This was Kankurou's biggest advantage and disadvantage when he was forced to fight in taijutsu. His speed was formidable by itself, but because he was so accustomed to using his puppets, it quickly taxed his stamina and body. He could only run at top speed for two minutes before he collapsed from exhaustion.

Sprinting straight for Sasori, Kankurou smirked as he saw the puppet master bring his tail up to counter him. Utilizing the chakra strings he'd attached the tail, he brought the tail to an instant halt. His hold on the tail didn't last more than a half a second before Sasori realized something was wrong, but that half a second was just enough time for him to pass the tipped portion and jump into the air over him.

Throwing the tagged kunai, Kankurou's aim was spot-on. It lodged itself firmly inside the small opening on the back of the puppet from where the tail had emerged. Landing behind Sasori and sliding in a slight spin, he watched as his enemy was engulfed in a large fiery explosion.

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Letting out a roar of rage, Gaara threw back his head and body. The amount of youki he was calling upon was astronomical. With a literal explosion of sand and youki, the true form of the Shukaku emerged inside the cavern. The sand that had been called forth had also sent Deidara and his clay army flying to all corners of the cave.

"That was unexpected," Deidara commented quietly to himself from where he lie facedown in the mud. He and his elephant had been blown clear out of the cavern entrance and across the small pond outside.

Picking himself up off the ground, he stared up into the darkness of the cavern. A large pair of golden eyes stared at him from inside the gloom. The overpowering killing intent that was directed upon him from those monstrous organs was enough to have sent an entire village of shinobi running for their lives. But Deidara just returned the gaze steadily, his less-than-sane mind was quite capable of ignoring the fear-inducing glare he was receiving.

"**I WILL NO LONGER PLAY WITH A FOOL LIKE YOU**," Gaara's voice rang out from the lips of the Ichibi at thousands of times louder than any normal person could reach alone. "**IT'S YOUR TIME TO DIE!**"

Sand burst out of the ground around him and ensnared Deidara with extreme ease. Struggling to reach his satchel of clay, Deidara found his attempts were all in vain as the sand quickly tore it away from him and hurled it a great distance away.

"_Why you little __**brat!**_" Deidara managed to yell out before the sand flowed over his face and silenced what other obscenities that he was screaming.

Just as Gaara was about to lovingly crush the crazy blonde, a sound inside the cave caught his attention. Then a black-clothed figure appeared between Gaara and his captive prey. The figure wore the traditional Akatsuki cloak and hat, completely obscuring any identifying details about who the person was.

"I'm afraid that's enough, Kazekage," the man said, raising his head just enough for the opening to show a pair of deadly red eyes. They were glaring up at Shukaku, radiating a massive amount of killing intent. Inside Gaara, the Shukaku, who'd been eagerly battering against Gaara's defenses, suddenly withdrew at the feel of the killing intent directed upon it.

Before Gaara could react to either his demon's unexpected fear or the man, the man suddenly launched himself forward. With a speed so immense, the man jumped straight at the Shukaku, arm forward as though he was going to dive into a lake. Chakra began circling wildly around his body as he shot inside the sand monster, burrowing to the center of the beast. Gaara had just enough time to look down in surprise before a small red glow began to emit from the hole the man made.

With a _**massive **_explosion of pure chakra, shockwaves from the center of the sand demon ripped its body to pieces. Gaara let out a cry of pain as the chakra waves tore him out of the crumbling monster and sent him flying out of the entrance of the cavern. The shockwaves didn't just destroy the Shukaku however. The sheer pressure of the chakra also triggered a massive rockslide and blowing out the thinnest portion of the cavern, showering Gaara and Deidara with pebbles and dust. The sound waves of the explosion could be heard echoing for miles around.

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Idly dusting himself off, Pein stood up from where he'd erected a protective barrier around himself and surveyed the damage. Walking forward, he came to halt next to his leader. With a hidden note of amusement, he said, "I think you overdid again, Arashi-kun."

His partner glanced at him for a moment before replying. "Just making a point, Pein-san."

Pein graced that remark with a small grin as he glanced at the debris surrounding them. Making a point? Well, it was certainly made.

Together, they began to walk forward in search of their target.

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The sudden unexpected explosion of sound and chakra sent Kankurou and Sasori flying several dozens of meters. With a painful smash, Kankurou came to a halt after crashing into a tree. A low moan of pain escaped his lips as he slumped forward before he painfully reached back and extracted the large branch from his lower back.

Dropping the bloodied tree limb, he looked up at where the explosion had originated from. The large cliff that had been used as the Akatsuki hideout was now missing easily half of it's mass. The entire side that he could see had completely been blown out and there was a series of rockslides tumbling down from higher up as the dust was settling. If Kankurou had to guess, the Shukaku was not to blame. Never had he heard of the youkai being able to do such a thing as _that!_

_Where's Gaara? _Climbing to his feet, he quickly ran forward. If his brother wasn't the source of that, then he was in _big_ trouble. It was time for a rapid retreat!

Reaching out with his chakra senses, he quickly located four respectably large signatures and a fairly weak one. Quickly looking around for enemies, he raced for the weaker one. It was flock of dirty red hair that drew Kankurou's attention. Gaara was trapped under a small pile of boulders. It appeared that only last second usage of his Suna no Tate had saved his life. But his Suna no Yoroi was cracked all over and there was a gathering red pool collecting on the ground under one of his shoulders.

Pumping chakra through his muscles for added strength, Kankurou managed to lift the boulders off of his brother and quickly picked him up.

"Where do you think you're going?" a dark voice demanded from not too far away. Two Akatsuki stood not even thirty paces away from them.

"Away from here," Kankurou answered, discreetly digging a special item out of his pocket. "Isn't it obvious?"

"You're not going anywhere, boy," the taller one on the left snapped.

Rather than respond, Kankurou dropped his bomb to the ground. The Akatsuki didn't notice it until the last second but by then it was too late. A blinding flash of light ignited from the sphere. Using their disorientation to his advantage, Kankurou carried Gaara bridal style as from as he could.

_We are in __**deep**__ trouble_, he realized as he sprinted into the nearby forest. He could only hope that either Gaara recovered quickly or somehow someone friendly had managed to track them. At the moment, both options seemed rather bleak.

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**River Country, 15 miles from the border  
3:15pm**

"Did you guys feel that?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"Hai," his three teammates answered.

They been running nonstop for several hours. And now as they neared the border, they'd been able to sense a rising foul chakra in the distance. After several exposures to this type of chakra, Team 7 had quickly been able to realize that this chakra was actually youki. That meant only one thing: Gaara was fighting someone, and he most likely wasn't holding back.

Then they'd spotted a large mushroom-shaped dust cloud rising into the air on the far horizon. A sudden massive tsunami of chakra had washed over them just a few moment afterwards. To the common civilian or lesser trained shinobi, it would've seemed to be nothing more than a fierce wind that gave them shivers of fear. But that had been no wind, not in the least.

"That must've come from about dust cloud up ahead," Sasuke commented from the rear. "And I get the feeling that nothing good is coming from it."

"We need to hurry then," Chiyo said.

In response, Naruto suddenly channeled a greater amount of chakra into his legs. With a sudden burst of speed, he went sprinting ahead them at speeds that only Sasuke could've caught up to or matched.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled in annoyance.

"I'll get him," Sasuke said before sprinting after his wayward friend.

"…He must be eager to get started," Chiyo observed quietly to Sakura, which drew an almost embarrassed shrug.

Unbeknownst to them, a shady figure emerged from a tree and watched them vanish into the distance.

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**River Country  
3:20pm**

Sprouting out the ground, Zetsu turned to face his two superiors as they turned their attention to him.

"Enemy shinobi are rapidly approaching this location," the plant-man said shortly.

"Who are they?" Pein asked.

"I believe it's Itachi-san's little brother, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and two kunoichi," as soon as his words had left his mouth, Zetsu knew he'd acquired at least two of the gathered nuke-nin's attention.

Turning to face the astral projections of his underlings, the hooded man growled out, "Someone go play with them!" Turning back to Deidara who was just now pulling himself out of the debris that had buried him, he continued, "Deidara, you and Sasori will go and retrieve the Ichibi Jinchuuriki. And this time, _don't_ fail me!"

Without waiting for a reply, the man turned and abruptly vanished. Sighing quietly at his partner's impatience and short-temper, Pein turned back to the others. "Who will be going to delay Team 7?"

"I guess I'll go," Kisame spoke up, wearing a shark-like grin. "I've been itching for a good battle anyway."

"I want you to use _that _jutsu, Kisame," Pein said pointedly. "We cannot afford to lose anymore of our members due to their overconfidence."

As the shark-man snorted in annoyance, Itachi spoke up, "I will go too."

"Isn't Kisame enough for those little brats, Uchiha?" Deidara demanded, he was in foul mood after almost being killed by his target. "Or are you just going to toy with your brother?"

"My reasons…" Itachi said quietly, however there was definite iron to his voice. "are none of your concern, Deidara-san."

"Whatever, Uchiha-teme," the blonde grumbled as he went in search of his clay satchel.

Ignoring the muttering underling, Pein turned back to the others. "Return to your earlier activities. When the Jinchuuriki is captured again, we'll summon you."

"Just don't let him escape again, Deidara-kun!" the orange-masked Tobi called out cheerfully from where his projection was lounging carelessly on a boulder. "That would get a little annoying!"

"_**YOU'RE **__VERY ANNOYING!!_" Deidara cried out. Before he could come rampaging over in an attempt to beat the snot out the image of his hated companion, the numerous projections vanished.

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**River Country, 20 miles away from the hideout  
3:25pm**

"Hey, guys," Sakura called out to break the silence that they'd fallen into. "What do you think was happening when that chakra and explosion happened?"

"Gaara was beating the crap out of some of those Akatsuki!" Naruto answered, shooting a cheeky grin at her in order to hide his nervousness.

"I doubt even with the Ichibi that Gaara could generate nearly as much chakra as that wave," Sasuke remarked. The sheer amount of that chakra positively breath-taking. He doubted even the Yonbi Jinchuuriki could've produced _that_ kind of shockwave!

"It wasn't Gaara-san," Chiyo said knowingly. "I have never heard of any of the Shukaku's prior hosts being able to produce that kind of attack or chakra amount."

"So Gaara probably picked a fight with the wrong person," Sakura said quietly. "Though I think it'd be a good bet to say that whoever it was is now out of chakra. If someone could do something like that and still have chakra…we'd be in serious trouble."

"Who cares!" Naruto snapped, gritting his teeth angrily. "That'll just make our fight all the more fun!"

"One of these days you're going to meet an opponent who's going to completely mop the floor with you, Naruto," Sasuke remarked idly.

"Yeah, well, at least we all know who it's _not _going to be, Kizuato!" Naruto laughed loudly as he saw Sasuke's face darken slightly.

Then the wind shifted.

"Look out!!" Naruto yelled, coming to an abrupt spinning halt. As he spun, he unsheathed the Seigi no Migite in one fluid motion and brought up to defend.

Naruto's warning was almost completely unneeded as the others also noticed the foreign scent in the wind. They had already leapt in different directions away from Naruto as he turned to face the threat.

Dropping out the sky with his bandaged Samehada ready, Kisame let out a loud battlecry as his sword and Naruto's clashed. The sheer force of Kisame's strike was enough to knock Naruto completely off his feet and crash into the ground with more than enough power to create a respectable sized crater. Through some strength of will, Naruto was still able to hold the Samehada far enough away from his body that the extended spikes didn't even scratch his body.

"Hello, boy!" Kisame said, sneering widely. "Remember me?!"

"Ha!..." Naruto groaned out around the massive strain it was taking him to continue hold the Samehada away from him. Was it just him, or did that thing weight a _ton_? "Like a frog…could forget…it's warts!"

"Ha! That's why I like you!" Kisame said, continuing to sneer. "Always a witty comeback!"

Sasuke watched as the Akatsuki conversed with Naruto. Though he wanted to, he decided to hold attacking him just yet. He had no idea who this guy was and what abilities he could do. Plus Naruto seemed like he wasn't in too much need of backup just yet either.

"Hello, otouto," an eerily familiar voice spoke up from behind him. Sasuke snapped around with his chokuto at the ready, coming face to face with a man he had not seen in person in almost eight years.

"Hello, Itachi," he said quietly.

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**(Author's Note)** Lucky me! I was able to post this on my birthday! I always did like July 21st anyway.

But unfortunately, that's the only good thing that's been happening to me lately. Why is that every time things finally settle into a general (comfortable) routine for me, something comes along and fucks it up?! As much as I disliked the place, I would give anything to be back there working again. But no!! I wasn't working at the desired pace (regardless that I only started like two weeks prior), so they _**FIRED **_me! Goddamn bastards!!

There, glad that's out of my system.


	9. Discontuation Notice

Legacy 3  
DISCONTINUATION NOTICE

This is obviously not a chapter. This is perhaps the notice that many of you have been dreading for months. And it **_truly_** breaks my heart to have to do this as well. ;_; But the sad fact of the matter is that I have whatever spark I once had towrite this story. As such, I will no longer leave you all waiting so patiently for something that is no longer going to come. As of now, I hereby announce that Legacy of the Rasengan III: Chuuten is now discontinued and up for adoption.

However, I will not simply hand my masterpiece over to anyone. If you want to write this story, you must consult with me first and be a competent writer. And though I will no longer have any say in the storyline, if you ask, I will be more than happy to share my ideas and to beta-read the new author's material.

I deeply apologise to all you readers for this. I truly do. And I hope that maybe one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for doing this. Gomennasai!!! ;_;


	10. My Successor

**Legacy of the Rasengan III  
**Chuuten  
By: Tellemicus Sundance

The decision has been made. The heir of my Legacy is now officially **FictionReader98**. I apologise to all you other authors who have offered your services, but I'm afraid that my friend had an unfair advantage over you. Please forgive me for this, but I do hope that you'll continue to enjoy the story that I'm entrusting him to write in my stead.

It has truly been an honor to have the author of one of your more favorite of fanfiction series on this website. And I hope that some of you will also check my other stories that I'm working on. Thank you for reading my Legacy.

Until next time,  
Tellemicus Sundance


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